


There's a Fire Burning in My Bones

by rrKhan



Series: My Armor is Made of Titanium-Gold Alloy, You Can’t Get In (I’m a Warrior) [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Abuse, Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha Happy Hogan, Alpha Harley Keener, Alpha Kamala Khan, Alpha Natasha Romanov, Alpha Obadiah Stane, Alpha Phil Coulson, Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha Thor (Marvel), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beta Bruce Banner, Beta Clint Barton, Beta Ezekiel Stane, Beta James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Beta James Edwin Stark, Beta Pepper Potts, Beta Sarah Ana Stark-Rogers, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Domestic Violence, F/M, Harley Keener is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Institutional sexism, M/M, Morgan Stark is Steve Rogers & Tony Stark's Biological Child, Mpreg, Not Really Entirely Compliant With Any Movie, Omega Morgan Stark, Omega Peter Parker, Omega Tony Stark, Omega Verse, Parent Tony Stark, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Siblings, Protective Steve Rogers, Sexism, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, Tony-centric, a/b/o dynamics, domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:27:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24173584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rrKhan/pseuds/rrKhan
Summary: Tony has known this day was coming since the day he truly understands what it meant to be Omega in his father’s eyes. Sure, by law, he could inherit Stark Industries and his father’s many properties and assets as an Omega. But his father, ever the traditionalist, would never let that happen. He has known since he was 4 years old and his father caught him building a motherboard. He has known since his father screamed at him hoarse and his mother sat him down and explained his place in this society.On June 17, 1998, 18-year-old Tony Stark becomes Tony Stane.On July 21, 2008, 28-year-old Tony Stane becomes Tony Stark once again.ORThe world keeps putting obstacles in Tony’s way and Tony keeps knocking them down.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Betty Ross, Clint Barton/Phil Coulson, Harley Keener & Kamala Khan & Peter Parker & Ezekiel Stane & Morgan Stark & Original Character(s), Harley Keener & Kamala Khan & Peter Parker & Ezekiel Stane & Tony Stark & Original Character(s), Harley Keener & Kamala Khan & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Harley Keener & Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Harley Keener & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Harley Keener & Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, James Edwin Stark & Tony Stark, Jane Foster/Thor, Kamala Khan & Tony Stark, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Obadiah Stane/Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Sarah Ana Rogers-Stark & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Original Female Character(s), Tony Stark & Original Male Character(s), Tony Stark/Ho Yinsen, Wanda Maximoff/Vision, Zeke Stane & Tony Stark
Series: My Armor is Made of Titanium-Gold Alloy, You Can’t Get In (I’m a Warrior) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1753996
Comments: 154
Kudos: 338





	1. Life Goes On

Tony Stark’s wedding day is, unfortunately, a grand affair. It was to be expected of the only Omega son of Howard Stark. There are hundreds and hundreds of guests ranging from Hollywood celebrities to royalty. The topmost politicians from around the world and Fortune 500 CEOs are all present. It’s also highly publicized, all networks from Fox News to TMZ being present. It will be the most popular celebrity wedding since the Royal Wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. The world watches with bated breath.

Howard Stark can be seen beaming all day, as he helps coordinate the day with Maria, making sure everything goes according to plan. 

Tony Stark, on the other hand, couldn’t give less of a shit. He has known this day was coming since the day he truly understood what it meant to be Omega in his father’s eyes. Sure, by law, he could inherit Stark Industries and his father’s many properties and assets as an Omega. But his father, ever the traditionalist, would never let that happen. He has known since he was 4 years old and his father caught him building a motherboard. He has known since his father screamed at him hoarse and his mother sat him down and explained his place in this society.

(Tony had to fight with the skin of his teeth to go to MIT. Releasing his acceptance letter to the press was a risky move that cost him broken ribs and a bruised jaw, but it was _worth it_.) 

By getting married today, Tony Stark will essentially be handing over his entire autonomy to his Alpha. His Alpha will have to give him permission to get a job, to be on certain medications, to buy certain items. Tony Stark is signing away his freedom today, not that he had any to begin with. And he was ready. 

Frankly, Tony could do worse than Obadiah Stane. In fact, Tony was _lucky_ to be marrying Obadiah. Howard was seeking suitors even older and even more traditional before Obadiah was an option. Then his Beta wife died 2 and a half years ago in a car crash that almost took their son Zeke as well. Tony and Obadiah were engaged 6 months later. The ink on her death certificate probably wasn’t even dry before Howard brought up this arrangement. (Though, it confirmed the suspicions Tony had regarding the man’s previous marriage, as Zeke had been born just 6 months after.) 

Yes, the man was over 25 years his senior, but it was nearly the age difference between his father and his mother, who had married at the same age as Tony. Obadiah also likes to act progressive for the press. He has already stated that he would allow Tony to further his education, _encouraging_ him to get Masters's degrees and PhDs. See, where Howard despises Tony and willfully ignores the fact that his son is far more intelligent than he, Obadiah seems to salivate at the thought. Tony can practically visualize the dollar signs in Obadiah’s eyes whenever Tony explains any sort of project he is working on to his fiancé. To be fair, it was a win-win-win solution: Howard was able to choose his Alpha business partner and protege as his successor, Obadiah would be the next CEO of Stark Industries and would get the Omega partner he always believed he deserved, and Tony would be able to do the one thing he truly wants to do in life, _build_. 

So Tony stands in front of the mirror in his wedding suite as his mother adjusts his faded white wedding dress when his father comes in to retrieve him. Howard walks up to Tony and smiles, “You’re making me proud today, son.” Tony held back a grimace. Of course it would be the day he gets married that would make Howard proud. Not when he built a motherboard as a 4-year-old. Not when he built a nearly-sentient robot dog at 11. Not when he made one of the first rudimentary AIs in existence at 17. No, it is the day Tony will sign his life away.

Tony faintly hears the organ start to play _The Wedding March_ as his father offers his arm. Maria flips the veil over his face as he grabs Howard’s arm. Howard walks him away from the wedding suite through the large doors into the church pews.

As he walks down the aisle, Tony scans the crowds and feels a bit of tension leave his body as he finds his best friend Rhodey amongst the faces, looking solemn as he watches Tony walk by. Edwin Jarvis, the man Tony considered to _actually_ be his father, had a similar look on his face. Tony’s breath hitches as he catches a glimpse of 4-year-old Zeke Stane at the front of the church, watching Tony curiously. He’s going to be that kid’s stepmother, Tony thinks as his heart rate increases. It was starting to finally feel real to him. He was going to get married.

Tony barely notices as he reaches the end of the aisle and faces Obie. The officiate drones on and on, and Tony only pays enough attention to know when to say his part. After they exchange rings and say “I do,” the officiate declares them man and Omega and Obadiah lifts Tony’s veil to give Tony a chaste kiss. The bonding bite would come later in private. On June 17, 1998, 18-year-old Tony Stark becomes Tony Stane.

~*~*~*~*~

The reception is a blur. Obadiah and Tony greet people, make conversation, and take pictures. At one point Zeke is handed off to Tony, though the boy stays quiet for the whole hour that he is held by his stepmother before a caretaker whisks him away. After hours of socialization and networking, Tony is tired and ready to go home, though he knows that that is no longer possible.

Finally, the festivities are over. Tony and Obadiah say their farewell to their family, make sure the nanny had Zeke, and head towards their hotel, where they will stay for the night before honeymooning in the Caribbean for the next two weeks.

In the limo, Tony is visibly tense, nervous about what will come. Obadiah puts a hand on Tony’s knee. Tony stays tense.

“Obadiah,” Tony starts.

“Call me Obie,” he interrupts, “We are married after all.”

Tony nods, not trusting his voice at the moment. _Obie_ continues, “Have you done this before, Tony?”

He shakes his head, reminiscing the way Howard beat into him the importance of his purity. “Don’t worry. It’ll be ok,” Obie smiles.

Tony recognizes that Obie means to be placating or reassuring, but instead, the older man just looks like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Nevertheless, Tony stays pliant as Obie presses their lips together. 

This is his life now. 

~*~*~*~*~

It was fine. Tony has sex for the first time on his wedding night and it was fine. He honeymoons in the Caribbean for two weeks with his husband and it was fine. It was all just _fine_. 

The day they come back from their trip, Obie drops Tony off at their house just off the campus of MIT, where they would be staying as long as Tony pursues higher education, before going off to New York to deal with business.

For the first time in months, Tony is able to breathe.

Tony starts to settle in as soon as he gets in. He starts to unpack the seemingly thousands of boxes throughout the house, most being wedding gifts. He starts with his Heat supplies, given that it is coming up soon. He is partly done with the kitchenware when he catches Zeke Stane watching him, startling Tony into dropping the cutlery he was holding.

There is a beat of silence before Tony speaks tentatively, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Zeke responds casually, “I’m Ezekiel Stane. You can call me Zeke. Nanny Clara says you’re gonna be my momma now.”

“Uh,” Tony hesitates, “Nanny Clara is right. Where is Nanny Clara by the way?”

“She had a ‘mergency”

“Emergency,” Tony corrects, “Why didn’t she tell me she was leaving? Did she even know I was home?”

Zeke shrugs, “Nanny Clara used to tell Daddy. But then Daddy said he didn’t care. So she stopped.”

“Okay, well can you please tell Nanny Clara that I would like to know when she leaves you. In fact, why don’t you tell her to see me when she comes back.”

Zeke nods. There’s another moment of silence. This time Zeke breaks it, “Will you play with me? Daddy doesn’t play with me. He doesn’t like me. Says I shoulda been Alpha.”

Tony’s heart instantly clenches for the small Beta boy. Though Zeke may not have to go through the same trials and tribulations as an Omega, Tony knows what it’s like to be hated by a father that wanted an Alpha son. “Of course I’ll play with you. But not right now. I have to finish unpacking the house, okay?”

“Can I help?” Zeke says, staring at Tony with wide, sky blue eyes. Tony blames it on his Omega instincts, but he knew there was no way he would be able to say no to the young boy. 

So the two spend the rest of the day unpacking boxes, Zeke helping as much as the small 4-year-old boy could. Nanny Clara never really did come back, Tony decides to give her a call in the morning. At one point, Zeke drops and breaks a lamp that was a gift from the wife of some big insurance CEO, and Zeke instantly goes rigid. Again, Tony’s heart aches at the familiarity of it all. So Tony just whispers conspiratorially to the young Beta that he thought the lamp was ugly anyway (which he did), and Zeke visibly relaxed. Tony cleaned up the mess, and they went on with the day. 

They nearly finish unpacking by the end of the day. There was a lot less than Tony thought. The only thing left was the stuff for Tony’s workshop, which he vehemently would not unpack around a small child. Zeke had really opened up by the end of the day too. He was chatting nonstop through dinner and his bath. It was as Tony gets the boy ready for bed that he becomes suspiciously quiet.

“Tony?” The boy finally says, “Will you come to my pre-K grajushun? Daddy doesn’t really come to things like that.”

Once again, Tony’s heart clenches for Zeke. Tony’s heart needs to chill because he has a feeling things like this are going to come up for a long, long time. “Graduation,” Tony corrects, “Of course, kiddo. You know what, I’ll even try to get your daddy to come. Now, what book do you want to read for bed?”

Zeke’s eyes go wide. “You’re gonna read me a bedtime story?” Tony smiles and nods, hoping to seem encouraging. “A Bad Case of Stripes, please.” So Tony grabs the book from the bookshelf in Zeke’s room and begins to read. It takes all of 10 minutes and Zeke’s eyes start to droop as the time goes by.

Once the story is done, Tony puts the book away and starts tucking Zeke into bed. “Tony,” Zeke says sleepily.

“Yeah, Zeke?”

“Can I…can I call you Momma?” Zeke asks, “I don’t ‘member my momma. I like you, and Nanny Clara says you’re my momma now cuz you married Daddy.”

Tony’s heart flutters. Stupid Omega instincts. “Of course, Zeke,” Tony says with a lump in his throat, “Now go to sleep. You had a long day.” Zeke’s eyes close. Impulsively, Tony presses a kiss to Zeke’s forehead.

He walks out of the room, closes the door, and rests heavily against the door. It’s very official now: Tony Stane is a stepmother. (Rhodey’s going to give him so much shit for this.)

(Tony goes to Zeke’s prekindergarten graduation that next Monday. Obie does not. Tony resigns himself to a life like his mother’s; history has a funny way of repeating itself like that.)

~*~*~*~*~

Tony’s life goes on.

Being married doesn’t really have any drastic changes, other than Zeke. He spends a lot of time with Zeke, especially in the summer. Nanny Clara’s burden is eased as Tony plays the parental role in Zeke’s life that Obie never bothered to. It’s harder during the year as Tony tries to finish his Masters's degrees, nevertheless, Tony gives Zeke as much attention as he can. He even introduces Zeke to Rhodey. (The boy is instantly impressed with this Beta soldier, and many times says he would like to be like him when he gets older.) 

Obie stays in New York most of the time, dealing with SI business. He comes home on the weekends, usually only staying 2-3 days. Tony and Obie spend their first bonded Heat together, refreshing Tony’s bonding bite, and they spend Obie’s Rut together, refreshing Obie’s bite. And they continue to do so for every Heat and Rut to come.

They have dinner together the few days that they are together, usually with Zeke as well. Obie asks about Tony’s projects, hoping to prod out something that may be useful to the business. Tony asks about SI to keep the conversation from an awkward silence. Zeke stays quiet, his father never addressing him. Tony tries to talk about things he and Zeke do, but that’s usually met with a noncommittal hum, and Tony later stops trying.

Otherwise, Obie is usually in his study, doing SI related work. He rarely comes out unless it’s for food or sex. (Tony’s just fine with that.)

Life goes on.

Then.

Obie hits Tony for the first time 3 months after getting married. Obie had come home and tripped on one of Zeke’s toys and was nearly ripping the young boy a new one. Tony hated how Zeke shrunk into himself as his father screeched at him. So Tony got between them and calmly told his husband to stop yelling at their son. Then Obie started yelling at Tony for talking back to him and telling him how to discipline his son. Tony tries to calmly diffuse Obie’s anger and doesn’t see the blow coming. He staggers to the ground from the force of it and stays there until Obie walks away.

When Tony looks up, he sees Zeke standing over him, silent tears running down the boy’s face. In a split second, Tony decides. He quickly packs a go-bag and takes Zeke with him to go see his mother.

Once arriving and settling Zeke into a guest room, Tony rants to his mother about his husband and she patiently listens. Then she says the five words that have always shattered his world, “It is what it is.”

He knew what she was saying. He could always come to talk to her and she would listen. But there was nothing he or she could do. Omegas can’t get a divorce themselves other than in cases of abuse. And usually, judges turn a blind eye unless it is severe enough that they can’t ignore it. Even if Tony was granted a divorce, he wouldn’t be able to get custody of Zeke as an Omega, let alone as someone who isn’t even his bearer. Not for the first time, Tony feels a lot older than his 18 years.

So Tony stays the night, thankful that his father is somewhere on the other side of the world. He spends the morning with Jarvis who made his favorite blueberry pancakes, just like he did when Tony was a child. Zeke thanks his “Grandpa Jarvis” for the yummy food and Tony almost stays. He leaves for home with Zeke later that afternoon. Obie apologizes when they get home, citing stress and frustration. And that was that.

(Except that it was also the first time of many.)

~*~*~*~*~

Life goes on.

Tony’s first year of marriage comes to an end. In that time, Tony finishes his two Masters in Electrical Engineering and Physics and Zeke graduates kindergarten. Rhodey goes into active duty, so the best friends mostly communicate by phone and snail-mail. Howard still refuses to let Tony work on any SI projects, much to Obie’s chagrin. Tony doesn’t mind much, he’d rather not be designing weapons anyway, and SI and its Board had yet to accept that the future lies in computers. Obie hits Tony a couple more times, but not nearly as much as Howard used to, so Tony doesn’t actually mind much. (And he _always_ makes sure that Obie can _never_ put a finger on Zeke.)

For his first marriage anniversary, his mother hosts a little dinner, where his father not-so-subtly prods Tony and Obie on when they are going to start having children.

“We’re not nearly ready for another one,” Obie says easily, “Zeke is enough of a handful.”

“Maybe Tony could handle it if he didn’t waste his time on those silly degrees he’ll never use and spend his time doing his duty as an Omega,” Howard says bitterly.

Jarvis then brings out a chocolate cake with bright sparklers on top of it and no one speaks of it again.

Tony starts a Ph.D. program in the fall after his first year of marriage. This time, Obie is hesitant in his permission, probably thinking of what Howard said that night. Nevertheless, he relents in the end, probably remembering that after Howard (who was pushing 80) either retires or dies, they would have to rely on Tony’s genius to keep the company going. 

A month or so into the program, Tony was starting to feel fatigued and achy. He attributes it to being not only a grad student but a househusband and mother as well. But then, October came, and with it did not come Tony’s Heat. 

A doctor’s appointment confirms it, but it is glaringly obvious already. Tony is pregnant. Maria is excited to help her Omega child through his first pregnancy. Howard is pleased with the prospect of an heir. Obie is proud as an Alpha sire usually is. Tony is terrified, but at the same time also excited? Zeke has brought out all these motherly feelings in Tony that he never knew he had.

Obie decides to keep the pregnancy from the press. Obie tells Tony it’s because when Tony is the leading developer for SI, stock prices will drop knowing that Tony is a mother. Obie tells Howard it’s that they don’t want their child growing up being bombarded by the press. _That_ is the reason why Tony agrees. So Tony wears tailored clothes that hide his bump until the bump grows so big that there’s no way to hide it and Tony instead avoids being out in public.

Zeke is quiet for the first few days after finding out. Much more quiet than he has ever been since that first day at home together. Three days in, Tony could not take the silence any longer. “Honey,” Tony begins as they are quietly eating lunch together, “Why have you been so quiet?”

“You and dad said you’re gonna have a baby,” Zeke says matter-of-factly, having grown out of “Daddy” in the past year but thankfully not “Momma.”

“That’s right, bub,” Tony nods. When it didn’t seem like Zeke would elaborate any further Tony continues, “That doesn’t explain what’s wrong Zeke.”

Zeke looks down at his plate, shuffling pieces of pasta around the plate. “Nanny Clara says that you’re not going to be around as much. That the baby is actually _yours_ so you’re really going to take care of them.”

Tony sighed and rubbed his temple. Nanny Clara was usually an amazing help around the house, but at moments like this Tony wondered if having her around was worth it.

“I’m going to honest Zeke and tell you that the baby is going to take a lot of my time. Babies require a lot of care because they’re so small and can’t do anything by themselves. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to care for you less. And just because I’m not your bearer does not mean that I am going to love this baby more than you. Blood or no blood, Zeke, you are _my son_. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“Momma,” Zeke sniffles as he launches himself into Tony’s lap. Tony wraps his arms around the small boy, and the two stay like that until the pasta gets cold.

After that, most everything with the pregnancy goes off without a hitch. Zeke is excited to be an older brother now. The only downside is that Obie is around more often, which doesn’t lessen Tony’s load in any way; it just means that Tony has to have sex more often with his husband, which is annoying.

Four months into the pregnancy, however, things change. They can finally find out the sex of the baby, primary and secondary. Tony lays down on the examination bed with his shirt bunch up over his pregnant belly which had cold gel spread all over it. His whole family is there because his husband decides to make a spectacle out of it. The doctor is chipper and smiles through the whole appointment. “There and there,” she says pointing to two different places on the screen, “Congratulations! You are the parents of an Omega son!”

The mood in the room instantly shifts. Both Obie and Howard look at the screen in disdain. Tony’s mother becomes nervous, fidgeting with the bracelets on her arm. The appointment wraps up quickly after that. Tony says nothing the whole way home. Obie drops Tony and Zeke off at home and heads for New York with Howard and Maria.

“Is Dad mad because the baby is like me?” Zeke asks curiously.

“No,” Tony sighs, “He’s mad because the baby is like me.”

The pregnancy progresses. Obie stops coming home often (which is fine by Tony).

Then.

December 19, 1999.

_His mom. Oh god his mom. His mom is gone._

Tony can’t go to his father’s highly publicized funeral as they are still hiding the fact that he is pregnant from the press. Obie cites Tony being in Heat as the reason why. Tony doesn’t care. _His mom was gone._

His mother’s funeral is a small affair. It’s just Tony, Jarvis, Zeke, and Obie. Tony, Jarvis, and Zeke quietly mourned, but Obie looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.

Howard’s will is read by his lawyer to Jarvis, Obie, and Tony. Jarvis is given a small vacation home in England to retire in for his amazing service, as he rightly deserves. Obie gets nothing. It turns out Howard had yet to update his will since Tony got married. He is still the successor of Stark Industries. It didn’t matter so much in the short-term; Obie basically owns Tony, so anything that is Tony’s, Obie automatically has control over. In the long term, however, Obie would not be able to name a successor after his death if Tony is still alive; all properties would automatically be reinstated to Tony’s name. This was likely given the age difference and Tony’s genes given Howard. Obie is not happy. Tony doesn’t care. _His mom was gone._

Tony was in despair for weeks. His mother was ripped away from him because his father was an irresponsible drunk. His mother was so close to seeing the birth of her grandson. Now his children will grow up without their Nonna Maria. He’s not even 20 and he’s lost his mother. _Everything hurts so much._

Tony puts himself under so much stress, he goes into early labor. His son is born on February 24, 2000.

“We should name him Howard,” Obie suggests, “to honor him.”

Tony bristles at the thought. “My dad wanted to name me Peter,” Tony lies. Howard didn’t care what Tony was named, he was Omega after all. Tony refuses to name his precious son after that bastard. “But my mother insisted on Anthony, after her father. So we should name him Peter.”

And thus, Peter Parker Stane was welcomed into the world. ( _But Tony’s mom was still gone._ )

~*~*~*~*~

Tony was exhausted all the time after Peter was born. Between finishing his Ph.D. and taking care of two kids, Tony was at the end of his means. Thank God Jarvis had come to help Tony the first couple of weeks before retiring to England.

Obie is no help. In fact, he piles more work onto Tony when he brings home an unfinished SI project of Howard’s. Tony tries to decline, citing exhaustion and reluctance to design weapons.

It’s the first time Obie beats Tony black and blue.

Tony finishes the project and continues to design weapons for SI.

~*~*~*~*~

Tony gets his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and gets pregnant again about a year later. This pregnancy is also kept a secret from the public, Obie citing the same reason of stock prices except now it’s applicable. He prays for an Alpha son, fearing Obie’s actions should he not produce an Alpha heir for him.

It’s an Alpha son, and Obie becomes as unbearable in the second half of his second pregnancy as he was in the first half of his first pregnancy.

Zeke is quiet, understanding why his father shows so much more love this unborn child than he ever has to Zeke or Peter. Peter is too young to understand, but not too young to notice.

Harley Keener Stane is born screaming at the top of his lungs on March 14, 2002, named after the motorcycle Tony and Rhodey have been slowly rebuilding unbeknownst to his husband, his own true piece of freedom away from Obie.

(As Zeke, Peter, and Harley all grow up, Harley doesn’t understand why their Dad doesn’t pay attention to or give as many toys to Zeke and Peter the way he does him. Harley always shares his toys with his older brothers and pesters his father to play with his siblings as well. Tony’s glad that Harley has yet to inherit Obie’s arrogant Alpha-ness and prays that he never does.)

~*~*~*~*~

Tony gets a call in the middle of the night that wakes up his infant son.

_No._

_NO._

_Not Jarvis._

_Anyone but Jarvis._

_Please no._

_He’s the only family I have left._

_No._

Tony Stane is not even 22 years old when he loses the only parent he had left.

~*~*~*~*~

Tony meets Pepper Potts when she comes in for a job interview as his personal assistant to see Tony trying to juggle a rowdy child, a screaming toddler, and a crying infant. Pepper quickly whisks Peter and Zeke away to let Tony feed an infant Harley in peace. He offers her a job on the spot.

Happy Hogan gets the job as Tony’s bodyguard/chauffeur after Tony finds Happy entertaining the wandering 8-year-old Tony was frantically searching as he patiently waited for his job interview.

Rhodey _finally_ comes home for leave for more than just a week or two. He’s home for at least a year, and Tony couldn’t be more grateful.

Tony looks to his closest friends and his children. Jarvis would be proud of him for the family he created.

~*~*~*~*~

Tony gets pregnant once more a couple of years down the line, and the beautiful Beta boy James Edwin Stane is born on December 02, 2005, named after two of the most important Betas in Tony’s life. Rhodey’s there for the birth and tears up at that. Tony likes to this Jarvis would’ve as well.

Obie isn’t, there that is.

~*~*~*~*~

Life goes on.

Tony stays married to his barely-present, abusive husband. He raises his four kids secretly in his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with Zeke being the only one known to the public. When Obie tries to send Zeke away, Tony fights him tooth and nail. Only after beating him bloody, does Obie relent and let Zeke go to Hillside School for Boys, a boarding school near home so he could come home often.

Life goes on.

Tony gets 3 more PhDs, one in Physics, one in Mechanical Engineering, and one in Artificial Intelligence (the first of its kind). He builds JARVIS (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System) in honor of his true father. Tony continues to build weapons for SI at the behest of his husband, lest he incurs his wrath, but also works on medical devices, computers, any sort of technological innovation, Tony Stane has for sure had a hand in it.

Then Stark Industries and the Stane family all move to Malibu, in a large mansion on a private beach, a stark contrast to their still large, but relatively smaller Cambridge home. Obie lives with them full time now. It’s a huge adjustment for everyone.

Life goes on.

That is until Afghanistan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first fic I've posted on AO3, please be gentle. 
> 
> Tony is obviously aged down. He is born on May 29, 1980, instead of 1970. Other characters ages have been adjusted as such (like Rhodey, who meets and befriends Tony at MIT, has his age adjusted so that would still occur). 
> 
> Also I have a slightly specific, non-traditional A/B/O Verse, and this is what I've come up with so far: 
> 
> Alpha/Beta/Omega is actually primary sex, while Male/Female is secondary sex as A/B/O determines reproduction and stuff while M/F is more secondary sex characteristics. 
> 
> All sexes are intersex in some way, except for Alpha Males and Omega Females. Alpha Males only have a penis, while Omega Females only have a vagina/vulva. Alpha Females and Beta Females both have a vulva whose clit enlarges to act like an erect penis and a vagina. Beta Males and Omega Males both have a penis and a vaginal-like opening in the area of their perineum. 
> 
> Alphas of any secondary sex can only sire offspring, they cannot bear/carry them. On the other hand, Omegas of any secondary sex can only bear/carry offspring, they cannot sire them. Beta Males can sire with a Beta Female or Omega partner. They can also carry offspring with an Alpha partner with much difficulty. Beta Females can carry offspring with a Beta Male or Alpha partner. They can also sire offspring with an Omega partner with much difficulty.
> 
> Everyone has bonding glands by which biting it (usually during sex) creates a bond. These bonding bites fade over time. In order to create long-lasting bonds, bonding bites need to be refreshed. This is traditionally during Heat for Omegas and Rut for Alphas, but can be done whenever, as done by Betas. Bonding glands are located on the junction between the neck and shoulder for Alphas, on the junction between the underside of the chin and neck for Betas, and on the back of the neck near the upper back for Omegas. Touching a bonding gland without permission is paramount to sexual assault, but like in real life, people get away with it a lot with Omegas, and Alphas tend not to even report it due to societal pressures. Due to the placement of glands in Betas, they are the most likely to have their case prosecuted. 
> 
> Alpha Ruts happen 3-4 times a year after puberty in young, healthy Alphas. This dwindles up until 1-2 times a year as Alphas age. Omega Heats happen every 3 months (4 times per year) until menopause and they stop altogether. Heats are pretty regular but can be early/delayed by extreme stress, but never more than 3 weeks. 
> 
> Betas make up about 50% of the world population, evenly split between male and female. Alphas make up about 30%, 20% male and 10% female. Omegas make up about 20%, 15% female and 5% male. 
> 
> Omegas are not referred to as "Mr." or "Mrs." But "Of" to indicate an unmarried status and "From" to indicate a married status. This is a little tidbit I picked up from [A More Perfect Union](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11256006/chapters/25164723) by [romanoff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/romanoff/pseuds/romanoff) though it is the other way around in their fic. 
> 
> That's all I have so far, but might add more information later as it comes to me.
> 
> I'm on Tumblr as [i-put-the-bi-in-hijabi](https://i-put-the-bi-in-hijabi.tumblr.com/) where I retweet a bunch of fandom stuff mostly (variety of fandoms, not just Marvel), but occasionally I'll have an original thought.


	2. I'm in a Bang with a Gang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family fluff and going to Afghanistan. Honestly, a filler of a chapter, but enjoy :)

Tony is running his fingers soothingly through the hair of his nearly 8-year-old Omega son as he shivers in his sleep, recovering from a nasty stomach bug when he gets the call from Rhodey. Tony sighs. It was to be expected. He’s lucky it’s Rhodey and not Obie. Thank God it wasn’t Obie.

On February 11, 2008, Tony Stane should be accepting the Apogee Award in Las Vegas, presented to him by his best friend. Instead, he is at home all the way in Malibu taking care of his sick child because he cannot bear to leave him alone in such pain.

“Peter’s got a fever and he’s been throwing up,” Tony says immediately upon having JARVIS pick up the call.

Rhodey sighs. “I figured it was something like that.” He stays quiet for a moment. “Do you need me to run interference with Obie? What do you want me to say to him?”

“You can tell him I was sick, Momma,” Harley suggests all too casually, sitting opposite of Tony, his fingers unconsciously running up and down the length of his older brother’s calf. Tony’s heart constricts. He wishes he didn’t live in a world where his Alpha son offered to lie to his father about being sick because he understood that his father put him above his Omega and Beta siblings.

“No,” Tony says decisively, “I’ll deal with it. Rhodey, he’ll just be mad that you know before him. And Harley, let’s try not to lie to your father too much; he’ll figure it out. Thanks for trying, though, both of you.”

“I’ve got your back, Tony. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? _Please_ don’t be late. Love you, little brother.”

“Love you, too.” The phone call ends and Tony turns his attention back to his kid. He presses the back of his hand to Peter’s forehead, still a bit warmer than he’d like. “Harley, hon, can you sit here and take my place while I go get a warm washcloth for your brother? Run your hands through his hair like this, slowly and softly, okay?” Tony demonstrates for a minute before Harley crawls over and does it himself.

Tony makes his way down to the kitchen and fills up a bowl with lukewarm water. That’s when he gets a call from an unknown number, which he would usually ignore, never taking calls that weren’t on his contact list, but in this instance, he was distracted.

“You’ve got From Stane,” Tony says as he places the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he dries his hands off.

“Hi From Stane. This is Christine Everhart with Vanity Fair magazine. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions. I was hoping to catch you at the award ceremony today. Imagine my surprise when they tell me that not only are you not there, you’re not even in _Vegas_.” Tony can hear the slight disdain coming from the journalist.

“Well, I’m a busy, busy man Ms.—is it Ms. or Mrs. or Of or From?—things do come up for people like me. By the way, how _did_ you get this number? In fact, how did you get past the security defense of the call? I gotta say I’m impressed.”

“It’s Ms. And I hope you can take time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions,” bitterness dripping from the words of the woman. Tony notes that she very obviously skirts around the issue of how she got his immediate, personal contact information.

“Sure, go ahead. You’ve impressed me. Must be persistent if you went to all the trouble of getting my personal number for family and friends only.”

“Thank you. You've been called the da Vinci of our time. What do you say to that?”*

“Absolutely ridiculous. I don't paint.”

“And what do you say to your other nickname? ‘The Merchant of Death’?”

Tony’s breath stutters for a moment. He _hates_ that name. He wouldn’t even be in the weapons business if he had any choice and instead he’s the face of it. “That's not bad.” Tony clears his throat and switches the phone from his right ear to his left. “Let me guess. Berkeley?”

“Brown, actually.”

“Well, Ms. Brown, it's an imperfect world, but it's the only one we've got. I guarantee you, the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace, I'll start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals.”

Everhart scoffs. “Rehearse that much?”

Of course he did. It’s quite literally the script that Obie gives Tony for the press. God, if Tony could say what he wanted without fear of what his Alpha would do to him or his kids…“Every night in front of the mirror before bedtime.”

“I can see that. Look, all I want is a serious answer.”

“Okay, here's serious. My old man had a philosophy, ‘Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy.’” Tony drolls on as he walks back up to Peter’s bedroom. _He_ can barely believe a word he was saying, why would this journalist?

“That's a great line coming from the guy selling the sticks.” Tony stands outside of the bedroom door; he doesn’t want to do this in front of his kids.

“My father helped defeat the Nazis. He worked on the Manhattan Project. A lot of people, including your professors at Brown, would call that being a hero.” _God_ , he hated praising Howard Stark.

“And a lot of people would also call that war profiteering.” So would Tony.

“Sir,” JARVIS interrupts, “It seems that Jamie is awake and calling for your attention.” The screen on the wall becomes a video of his youngest crying for his mother.

“Tell me,” Tony spits viciously, just wanting the conversation to end so he could tend to his son, “do you plan to report on the millions we've saved by advancing medical technology or kept from starvation with our Intelli-Crops? All those breakthroughs, military funding, honey. That’s all the time I’ve got for you.” Tony hangs up, abruptly, definitely not endearing himself to the woman any more than he had throughout the call.

He leaves the bowl of water and washcloth on Peter’s bedside table and hurries over to Jamie’s room. The toddler is standing in his crib, gripping onto the bars with dear life as he yelled for his Momma. Jamie immediately quiets upon seeing his mother.

“Mama,” the toddler screeches out happily, reaching his arms out to be held.

Tony picks up his Beta son with an exaggerated grunt. “What were you screaming about, tiny one? I can’t be by your side 24/7 Mister.”

“Mama owie,” Jamie said putting his small pointer finger in his mouth.

Must be teething. Tony grabs one of Jamie’s teething rings out of a drawer and gives it to the toddler who automatically puts it in his mouth. Then, Tony shifts Jamie onto his hip and the Omega & son duo make their way to Peter’s bedroom.

When Tony gets there, Harley is fast asleep on his brother’s bed. Great. He would have to wake the boy up, seeing as he couldn’t carry both Harley and Jamie at once. It was times like this Tony wishes Nanny Clara was a stay-at-home nanny. “Harley,” Tony speaks softly, “honey, you can’t sleep here. You have to go to your own room.” The young Alpha lifts his head up sleepily, nods once, and slowly rolls off his brother’s bed. Tony takes his hand and guides his son into his own room and his own bed. He sets Jamie on the bed in order to tuck Harley in and presses a long kiss to his forehead.

Tony goes back to Peter’s room with Jamie in tow for the one thing he’s been trying to do for the past hour. When he starts to wet the washcloth when he realizes that the water had grown cold. Tony sighs and gets up to make his way back down to the kitchen, grabbing Jamie as he was starting to make a fuss about his mother leaving him.

“Master Stane has arrived,” JARVIS announces as Tony enters the kitchen, “and it would seem that he has brought home a…friend.”

Of course. Tony doesn’t know if Obie was doing this to punish him for missing the award ceremony or if he really just did not care. Tony was leaning more towards the second option. Nonetheless, Tony knows the routine. He grabs a general NDA that he usually has lying around for one of Obie’s _friends_.

Tony makes his way to the front of the house, spotting Obie with a blonde Beta woman. The woman spots Tony first and becomes slightly startled. Tony doesn’t know if it’s surprise over Obie so blatantly cheating on Tony or over seeing Tony Stane with a toddler on his hip.

“Tony,” Obie bellows once he spots Tony, definitely drunk, “Meet the lovely Christine Everhart.”

Everhart. Of course. Well, you couldn’t say that she isn’t persistent. This also explains how she was able to not only acquire his personal number but also get past its security. Regardless, Tony loses any respect he had for the woman after only talking to her once. “We’ve spoken before,” Tony says coolly, “Obie, make sure you get her to sign this NDA. Let her know she can’t say anything about the house, the kids, yada yada.”

Obie drawls, “Why don’t you take care of that now while I head upstairs?” Obie (surprisingly) places a small kiss atop Jamie’s head and starts to walk off when he turns back and adds, “And Omega, we’re going to talk about the stunt you pulled today.”

Tony twists towards the woman and adjusts the baby in his arms. “Here,” Tony says as he thrusts the papers and pen into her hands, “Sign this. It basically says that you can’t say anything about the house, where it is located, and what really happens in it. Have fun.”

Tony turns to leave when the Beta woman stops him. “From Stane,” Everhart says, probably trying to sound sultry, “Won’t you join us?”

Tony lets out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Well, if you haven’t realized yet Ms. Everhart, Obie’s and my reputation is simply _Obie’s_ reputation. A cover for his indiscretions. I have no wish to join you, but if you want your fifteen seconds of fame, write an article about sleeping with the power couple of the business world. In fact, if you’re going to say something, make sure it’s about me and Obie, not just Obie; that’s in the NDA too.”

Tony stalks off to take care of his son without looking back.

The next morning, Tony is sitting on the couch, making faces at his baby to make the little one giggle when Everhart stumbles out in nothing but her undergarments and Obie’s shirt from the night before. Thank God it’s early enough that the kids have yet to wake up and Zeke was at boarding school in Pasadena. It’s bad enough that Zeke knows and understands his father’s indiscretions, but he hasn’t even had the Talk with Peter yet.

Everhart looks surprised to see him, before her face shifts to look a bit ashamed and embarrassed. As she should be. “So,” she blurts out, “you have a son.”

“More than the one, but you already know about Zeke,” Tony fibs. He’s not just going to tell her about Harley and Peter just because she came across Jamie, “I’m just here to remind you that not only will I rip you to shreds in court should you break the NDA, but that if you tell anyone about my children, you will be endangering the lives of innocent children. Oh, I’m also here to watch the show.”

As if on cue, Pepper strides in confidently in a pantsuit with a dry-cleaning bag. Pepper doesn’t even wait for Everhart to fully realize her presence, “I've got your clothes here. They've been dry-cleaned and pressed, and there's a car waiting for you outside that will take you anywhere you'd like to go.”

Everhart smirks. Tony doesn’t understand why. In what world does she have any sort of upper hand here? “You must be the famous Pepper Potts.”

“Indeed I am.”

“After all these years, Stane still has you picking up the dry cleaning.” Of course, Everhart would take _Obie_ to be Pepper’s boss.

“I do anything and everything that _From Stane_ requires, including, occasionally, taking out the trash. Will that be all?” Pepper never lets the smile on her face waver, but Everhart’s drops instantaneously. Pepper directs the blonde to a bathroom where she can quickly get dressed, and Tony finally lets out the laughter he was holding. He loves Pepper tearing down Obie’s exploits.

Yes, Obie is definitely more at fault than these women who don’t know or owe Tony anything, but sleeping with someone who is very obviously and publicly in a committed relationship is still a terrible thing to do regardless. (There have been some women who walked out once they realized that it wasn’t a package deal sort of thing and Tony wasn’t actually okay with it, but Tony could count that number on one of his hands in the decade that he’s been married to Obie.)

When Pepper and Everhart make their way back, Everhart just walks out of the house without another word, and Pepper walks toward Tony in the living room. She promptly plucks Jamie out Tony’s hands. “Hey,” Tony complains jokingly, “Don’t take my baby.”

“I know you haven’t gotten anything ready for Afghanistan yet. You might only be there for two days, but you still need a go-bag. And if you want to spend time with the kids before you go, you’re going to have to get that ready now before they wake up. I also have some things I need to discuss with you before you go.”

“Alright, alright,” Tony grumbles. He smacks a loud kiss on Jamie’s cheek, causing the baby to shriek in laughter, and heads towards his bedroom.

He finds Obie laying face down on their bed, completely knocked out. Tony avoids making any noise that would wake his husband up, not wanting to deal with however Obie would react to last night. He quickly gets his go-bag packed and Obie stays asleep. However, when Tony looks into the mirror after putting on lotion and sunscreen, he can see his Alpha looming over his shoulder.

Obie grabs Tony’s forearm, spins him around, and slams him against the dresser. Tony could feel the bruises start to form on his lower back. “Don’t you ever,” Obie growls, “make me look that stupid ever again. I don’t care if the kid was _dying_ , you should’ve been there yesterday.”

Tony nods, knowing that if he spoke out of turn things would get ugly. Obie lets him go. “Good. Now, I’m going back to sleep. I didn’t exactly get much last night,” Obie smirked. Tony has to stop himself from rolling his eyes. The man was bragging about his adulterous activities as if he was with his golfing buddies instead of the spouse he was cheating on.

Tony hastily grabs his go-bag and makes his way back to the living room where he found Pepper and all of his children (sans Zeke).

“Peter,” Tony says as he walks in, “what are you doing up? You should be resting, baby. You’re sick.”

“I feel a lot better today, Momma,” Peter smiles as he ate another spoonful of cereal.

Tony strides over to where his son is sitting and presses the back of his hand to Peter’s forehead. “Well, your fever’s broken. Did you sleep through the night? Did you throw up this morning?”

“Jeez, Momma,” Peter sighs exasperated, “Yes, I slept through the night. No, I haven’t thrown up since yesterday afternoon. I’m okay now; I wanna go back to school today.” Harley, who’s sitting next to Peter on the couch, nods enthusiastically in support of his brother.

Tony hesitates. “Well, I guess if you’re really, _really_ okay now, you can go back to school today.”

Peter straightens up. “I’m really, really, _really_ feeling better now. I wanna go to school today. Anna Marie is going to bring her pet lizard for show and tell today.”

Tony nods his head uneasily. He would rather Peter stay home one more day, but his son was so excited and he didn’t seem to be sick anymore. Pepper, who was still holding Jamie, notices Tony’s unease. She hands Jamie back over to him, Jamie automatically reaching out for his mother anyway.

“Stop fussing over your kid, Tony,” Pepper says exasperated, “I need to speak to you about a couple of things before I get you out of the door. Larry called. He’s got another buy for the Jackson Pollock in the wings. Do you want it? Yes or no.”

“Is it a good representation of his spring period?” Tony says cheekily, purposefully riling Pepper up with false art history information.

“No. The Springs was actually the neighborhood in East Hampton where he lived and worked,” Pepper says as she pinches her nose, “not spring like the season.”

“So?”

Pepper’s look of frustration is instantly transformed into one of mischievous elation. “I think it’s a fair example. I think it’s incredibly overpriced.”

“I need it. Buy it. Store it,” Tony says gleefully. He might be a _little_ bit unhinged with his spending lately, but he couldn’t help himself. After the Independent Finances for Omegas Act was put into law in states like New York and California, Tony was finally able to have his own bank accounts, his own debit cards, and his own credit cards. He is finally in control of his own money. He no longer needs Alpha authorization to buy anything, not something as overly priced as Pollock or something as insignificant as toothpaste. It’s only been a few months, but Tony has been (rightfully) going wild. (Pepper and Rhodey have been delighted to instigate Tony’s expenditures.)

“Okay,” Pepper continues, “The MIT commencement speech…”

Tony groans. “It’s in June. Please, don’t harangue me about stuff that’s way, way down…” As grateful as Tony is for his experience at MIT, he disdained the way they championed his existence as a highly successful Omega alum of theirs to indicate the school’s progressiveness. Never mind that Tony had been the only Omega when he attended (at both the undergraduate and graduate levels), and even after years of Tony haranguing the institution, Omegas now only make up around 3% of the admissions.

“They’re haranguing me,” Pepper interrupts, “so I’m going to say yes.”

“Deflect it and absorb it. Don’t transmit it back to me,” Tony says playfully. Peter and Harley giggle and their mother and aunt’s interaction. Tony plops in between the two and starts tickling them, making them giggle more.

Pepper smiles warmly. “I need you to sign this before you go. You’re going to need to head out now. I know you’re going to want to drop the boys off at school, and that will already make you late.”

“What are you trying to get rid of me for? What, you got plans?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Pepper says primly.

“I don't like it when you have plans,” Tony responds mock-seriously.

“I'm allowed to have plans on my birthday.”

“It’s your birthday?” Tony asks in jest. In the corner of his eye, Tony can see Peter rolling his eyes.

“Yes.”

“I knew that. Already?”

“Yeah. Isn’t that strange? It’s the same day as last year,” Pepper says sardonically.

“Get yourself something nice from me.”

“I already did.” 

“And?”

“It was very nice.”

“Yeah?”

“Very tasteful. Thank you, From Stane.”

“You’re welcome, Ms. Potts.”

Tony breaks first. “Happy Birthday Peps,” he says, hugging the Beta woman he considers a sister. 

“Momma,” Harley chimed, “You and Auntie Pepper are weird. Why do you guys do that every year?”

“It’s an inside joke between me and your mom, kiddo,” Pepper smiles as she reaches out to ruffle the young Alpha’s hair. 

“Sorry I’m taking your boy away on your birthday,” Tony says cheekily.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Pepper sniffs haughtily.

Tony smirks, “Sure you don’t.” Tony winks at his children who are hiding their giggles behind their hands. The budding romance between their favorite aunt and uncle was something of an open secret.

“Have you said happy birthday to your Auntie Peps yet, boys?” Tony asks Harley and Peter as they recover from their laughter.

“Yes, they did,” Pepper answers, warmth shining in her eyes, “They even made me this card.” Pepper holds up a hand-drawn birthday card with a bunch of figures representing their family. Tony’s heart swelled. His children were such angels.

Pepper takes Jamie from Tony once again. “You have to go Tony. The boys are done with their breakfast. And you’re going to be _late_.”

“Doesn't it kind of defeat the whole purpose of having your own plane if it departs before you arrive?”

Pepper glares. “Okay, okay, I’m going.”

Tony drops a long kiss atop of Jamie’s head and hugs Pepper goodbye before he guides Harley and Peter out the door, grabbing their backpacks on the way out.

Tony drops Harley and Peter at school, racing with Happy to the school to make the boys squeal and squirm in their seats in excitement. (Tony wins, but only because Happy lets him.) Tony hugs them both long and hard, not wanting to let them go.

“Take care of your brothers, Peter. Aunt Pepper, Uncle Happy, and Nanny Clara aren’t going to be home all the time. And Zeke is away at school. You’re the big brother now until Zeke comes home. Harley, don’t be too much trouble for your brother, or your uncle, aunt, and nanny at that.”

Peter and Harley both nod seriously and simultaneously chime, “Of course, Momma.” After kissing Tony goodbye, the boys turn away and walk into the building. Tony doesn’t leave until after he watches them disappear through the double doors.

After dropping Harley and Peter off, Tony doesn’t go straight to the private airfield where his jet was waiting for him. He made a pit stop in Pasadena that was technically out of the way. Luckily, he found the reason for his abrupt change in destination sitting on the lawn of the building.

“Zeke!” Tony called out as he climbs out of the driver’s seat of his car. “Come over here!”

“Mom?” Zeke asked confused as he jogged over to the cars, “What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to see my baby boy before I left for the other side of the world.”

Zeke rolled his eyes. “God Ma, you’re so dramatic. You’ll be back before I even come home on the weekend.”

Tony gives Zeke a mock wounded look and places a hand over his heart as Happy guffaws from the driver’s seat of the other car. “I am hurt. My eldest child has turned against me. I have nurtured you since you were but a babe, and this is the thanks I get. The job of a mother is truly a thankless one.”

Zeke rolls his eyes but reaches out to hug his mother. “I’m gonna miss you, Mom. Stay safe.”

(Happy doesn’t comment when the two don’t let go of each for a couple of minutes.)

“Take care of the boys,” Tony says to Happy as they arrive at the airfield.

“Take care of _yourself_ , Boss. And come home safe.” Happy waves and drives off to do just as Tony asked.

Tony goes up to the plane and climbs up the airstair, and subsequently towards Rhodey. “Three hours. For three hours you got me standing here,” Rhodey exclaims.

“Well, no one told you to come _here_. You should’ve come to the house. You could’ve come and seen your godkids, but you didn’t. Now, we’re waiting on you. Let’s go. Come on.” Tony waltzes into the aircraft without letting Rhodey get another word in. Rhodey just shakes his head in exasperation and follows.

The two make their way into the plane and get settled. Rhodey looks at some classified documents he probably should not be going over in the vicinity of Tony, and Tony is going over the schematics of the Jericho in order to prepare for the presentation. There’s a sort of comfortable silence that can only exist between true friends.

(Though it only came after Tony prodded Rhodey a little.  
“Sorry we had to be here instead of celebrating Pepper’s birthday with her.”  
“Why are you saying sorry to _me_ about that?”  
“You know why.”  
“No, I don’t. Shut up, Tony.”)

An hour into the trip, a flight attendant walks up to the duo and hands them hot towels. “Good morning, From Stane. Major Rhodes. Your sushi will be coming soon”

“Thank you, Samantha. Would you be a darling and please heat up the sake to go with that?” Samantha leaves, presumably to get the Japanese food and drink requested.

Rhodey looks up abruptly. “No Tony. We are not drinking. We are working right now.”

“You can’t have sashimi without a bit of sake, Rhodey,” Tony says incredulously.

Rhodey sighs. “You are constitutionally incapable of being responsible.”

“It would be irresponsible not to drink,” Tony says cheekily, “Come on, Rhodey. Obie isn’t here and won’t be around me for the next couple of days. When is the next time I’m going to get this chance again? My Alpha may like for me to pretend to be an eccentric billionaire who can never go without a drink in his hands, but he’d never grant me a license. I’m just talking about a nightcap.” Like many things, Omegas are required to get Alpha authorization to both drink alcohol and to gamble. Obie requires Tony to act like he drinks (and a lot at that) as according to his Alpha, no one in the business would trust someone who didn’t, especially an Omega that they're skeptical about already. Yet, the one time Tony asked Obie for such a license, the older man backhanded him.

Samantha came back with their food and the sake. “Hot sake?”

“Yes, two, please.”

“No, I’m not drinking. I don’t want any,” Rhodey exclaims.

(Turns out, Rhodey has a really hard time saying no to Tony.)

A couple of hours later, Rhodey is absolutely _sloshed_. Tony has had a bit of sake to go with the sashimi and two glasses of champagne. While he wanted to drink, Tony knew as someone who has only had alcohol a handful of times due to the restrictions placed on him, he would not be able to handle much more.

Rhodey was yelling at Tony about something military that he was barely paying attention to. Tony loved the Beta man, but he honestly just wanted to relax and let loose. He just wanted to watch the beautiful Beta and Omega women dance, and he _really_ wanted to join them.

Samantha took pity on Tony and turned the Major’s attention over to her, asking about his work. Rhodey immediately turns his ramblings toward the flight attendant. Tony was finally able to escape and join the flight attendants in their activities.

Obie installed poles and hired beautiful women for his amusement, but whenever Tony uses the plane on his own, he takes advantage of it, if only out of spite. He lets the girls let their hair down (literally, that updo hurts like a bitch and cannot be good for their scalps) and just hang out. Obie may objectify these women and make them dance for him, but Tony has made friends with them and likes to dance _with_ them. In fact, a lot of the time Tony is the one dancing _for_ them.

“Ooh, Tony,” Archana giggles, tipsy, “You said you learned a new routine. You should show us!”

“Are you sure? It’s to the Foo Fighters,” Tony shrugs, “Doesn’t exactly go with the flow of the party so far.”

“Yes, do it!” Eunhae exclaims. Then all the flight attendants start chanting and Tony relents. He glances back towards Rhodey and finds him passed out on the couch. A small part of Tony is glad; it would be a little weird for the man he considered a brother to watch him perform a pole dancing routine.

Tony strips out of his jeans, which would’ve been impossible to dance in, and hooks a leg around the pole.**

If there’s one thing Tony actually likes about these trips, it’s _this_. (And Obie will never get to see this part of him, which gives him an extra bit of glee.)

They land in Afghanistan. Rhodey has slept off his intoxication, and if he is hungover, he makes no indication of it. (But he does throw Tony a dirty look, to which the Omega only responds with a sly grin.) Tony makes a bullshit speech about “the weapon you only have to fire once” and sprinkling in a mention or two of his father, again using a script prepared by Obie, and then he blows up the desert.

And just as expected, Obie video calls just as the presentation ends. Obie may not have greenlit the touchscreen camera phones that Tony built, but he sure loves using them. (Tony will forever be bitter about the way Obie and the Board touted how unmarketable the devices were as the reason not to invest, only for Apple to blow up a couple of years later due to their rudimentary version of the device.)

“I couldn’t sleep until I found out how it went. How’d it go, honey?” Obie asks through the screen.

“It went great. Looks like it’s going to be an early Christmas.”

“Way to go, babe! I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.” With that, the Alpha hung up the phone. Obie really knew how to put on a show for an audience.

Tony enters the Hum-vee as the call ends, a glass of “Scotch” (spiced lemon tea) in hand. Rhodey comes up to his window. “I’m sorry. This is the Fun-vee. The Hum-drum-vee is over there.” Really, Tony didn’t have the strength to keep this “Tony Stane” farce up in front of Rhodey. Rhodey nods in understanding and walks off.

Other than _Back in Black_ playing on the radio, the ride is silent. “I feel like you’re driving me to a court-martial. This is crazy. What did I do?” Tony rambles, “I feel like you’re going to pull over and snd snuff me. What, you’re not allowed to talk? Hey, Forrest!”

“We can talk From Stane,” one soldier says nervously.

“Oh, I see. So it’s personal?”

“No, you intimidate them,” another soldier says smirking.

“Good God, you’re a woman,” Tony says astonished. Tony already knew she was Beta, having picked this transport specifically because none of the soldiers were Alphas, but he had no idea one of them was a Beta woman. A Beta woman in the military is not exactly few and far between, but it is unexpected; most people in service are Alphas and Beta men. (You’ll get an Omega soldier once in a lifetime. It isn't illegal per se, but Alphas usually don't want to give their Omega permission to go into active combat, and they are never taken seriously.) Tony was impressed. “I honestly... I couldn't have called that. I mean, I'd apologize, but isn't that what we're going for here? I thought of you as a soldier first.”

“I’m an airman.”

“You have, actually, excellent bone structure, there,” Tony continues, “I'm kind of having a hard time not looking at you now. Is that weird?” They all laugh. “Come on, it’s okay, laugh.”

“From Stane, I have a question to ask.”

“Yes, please.”

“Is it true you and your husband went 12 for 12 with last year’s Maxim cover models?” The soldier asks eagerly.

Tony tries not to let his smile go bitter. “That is an excellent question. Yes and no. We had a scheduling conflict with March, but fortunately, the Christmas cover was twins. Anything else?” Tony desperately wanted to move on from this topic.

The soldier next to him hesitantly started raising his hand. “You’re kidding me with the hand up, right?”

“Is it cool if I take a picture with you?”

“Yes, it’s very cool.” They pose for the picture, and Tony rambles, not even really understanding himself what he is saying, but the young soldier seems to take a bit to heart.

They haven’t even taken the picture when everything goes to shit.

The vehicle in front of them is blown to pieces. They stop, and all but one of the soldiers in Tony's Hum-vee go out into combat. But then, even that soldier leaves as the fighting intensifies.

“Wait! Give me a gun!” Tony exclaims. But the soldier is already gone.

Something explodes and the left side of the vehicle is riddled with holes from shrapnel. Tony’s ears are ringing.

He gets out of the Hum-vee. He’s not even sure where he is going, he just knows that he needs to get out. His ears are still ringing.

Tony runs away from the fires and the sounds of guns being fired. He throws himself behind a rock, hoping it will give him some semblance of cover. He pulls out his phone and starts dialing.

A Stark Industries missile lands right next to him. Tony starts to scramble away, not even given the time to wonder why _a Stark Industries missile_ came his way. Tony is thrown back by the force of the explosion, he didn’t get away.

The last thing he remembers before passing out is blood seeping through his bulletproof vest and into his shirt. The last thing he thinks about, _his children_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Some dialogue has been and will be taken (and many times modified) directly from the films.
> 
> **[The pole dancing routine Tony performs.](youtube.com/watch?v=lt-yI0tbxAk)
> 
> I have one more essay left and then I am done with this semester! However, I have written the next chapter of this in my bouts of procrastination. I was going to write all of IM1 in one chapter. But then I wrote this and it was this long only covering the first 15 minutes of the movie and less than a third of my notes. So it's definitely going to span a couple of chapters, at least 3 and at most 5. The next chapter will hopefully also be posted in a weekish as well. The chapter title if from _Back in Black_ by AC/DC. 
> 
> Here is some more info about my A/B/O verse, specifically on gender and sexuality:
> 
> Alphas were once considered all to be male and Omegas were once considered to all be female, regardless of secondary sexual features due to Alphas' inability to carry and Omegas' inability to impregnate. Both Alphas and Omegas revolted against this idea in the early 1600s because males and females in Alphas and Omegas felt like they were different from one another and it helped that their biological features supported that. The M/F distinction already existed in Betas and was then applied to Alphas and Omegas. However, this paved the way for the transgender movement as it was already proved that gender had to do with emotions and psychology and not just societal norms. So the M/F distinction is seen as gender while A/B/O is considered sex. 
> 
> Since Betas' secondary sex also helps determine reproduction stuff, their gender/sex boundary gets muddled. There is a distinction made between Beta Male and Female that is not made for Omegas and Alphas.
> 
> Alpha/Alpha, Beta Male/Beta Male, Beta Female/Beta Female, and Omega/Omega relationships are the relationships considered homosexual. People who are attracted to sexes different from theirs are considered heterosexual (for example - Alphas attracted to Betas and Omegas). People who are attracted to sexes like and unlike their sex are considered bisexual. Pansexual, though under the umbrella of bisexual, specifically also includes all genders and all sexes, as someone can be bisexual and have certain limitations/preferences.
> 
> I'm on Tumblr as [i-put-the-bi-in-hijabi](https://i-put-the-bi-in-hijabi.tumblr.com/)


	3. If I Can Live Through This, I Can Do Anything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Afghanistan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW/TW - non-explicit description of torture, semi-explicit description of sex

_Tony comes into consciousness._

_Pain. So much pain._

_There are hands touching him. They’re on his chest. Are they…They’re **inside** of his chest._

He blacks out.

He comes to again.

This time he’s propped up onto a chair. There are so many people around him. They’re recording him…he thinks. It’s hard to tell.

Urdu. They’re speaking in Urdu. Tony knows Urdu. He tries to listen, to understand, but there’s _so much pain_ that he can barely think.

He blacks out again.

Tony wakes up with a start, completely conscious and coherent this time. There’s a tube in his nostril. Groaning, he pulls and pulls on the long thin tube until he completely rips it out. He tries to reach for something on the table next to him and ends up knocking it over. Then Tony notices the other presence in the room (if you could call the space he was in a room). There’s an Alpha man, humming and shaving in front of a small mirror, completely nonchalant.

Tony tries to reach out again. He feels a tug on something, anchoring him. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the Alpha says. It’s coming from his chest. He rips away at the bandages. _It’s an electromagnet. There’s an electromagnet in his **chest**._

The Alpha seems to completely ignore Tony as he goes to tend the fire. Tony sits up and finds a mirror on the table beside the cot. He grabs it and immediately starts examining himself.

“What the hell did you do to me?” Tony says in disbelief.

“What I did is to save your life,” the Alpha gives Tony a wry smile, “I removed all the shrapnel I could, but there’s a lot left, and it’s headed into your atrial septum. Here, want to see? I have a souvenir. Take a look.” The Alpha tosses a tiny glass container to Tony. It has small metal fragments. Shrapnel.

“I’ve seen many wounds like that in my village. We call them the walking dead because it takes about a week for the barbs to reach the vital organs.”

“What is this?” Tony points to his chest, though he partly understands what it is already.

“That is an electromagnet, hooked up to a car battery, and it’s keeping the shrapnel from entering your heart.”

Tony zips up the dirty hoodie he woke up in, feeling uncomfortable and self-conscious. His eyes dart across the cave (which he has realized is where he is being kept, _a cave_ ). There are cameras set up all around. But he also notices the lack of audio transmission of said cameras.

The Alpha notices that Tony has finally realized they are being watched. “That’s right. Smile. We met once, you know, at a technical conference in Bern.”

“I don’t remember.” He actually doesn’t, which is surprising considering his eidetic memory.

“No you wouldn’t. If I had been that drunk, I wouldn’t have been able to stand, much less give a lecture on integrated circuits.” Sure, let’s say it was because he was drunk and not because Obie beat him so hard, he cracked his skull.

“Where are we?” Tony starts to ask. Then the sound of a latch opening echoes in the cave and a loud voice is heard from beyond the metal doors.

“Come on, stand up. Stand up!” The Alpha whispers harshly, grabbing Tony by his elbow in order to drag him up. Tony tries not to flinch, the action reminiscent of Obie.

“Just do as I do. Come on, put your hands up.” The Alpha puts his hands behind his head, and Tony hesitantly follows.

The doors are thrown open and a crowd of Alphas and Betas slowly walks in, all of them holding guns. _His guns._

“Those are my guns. How did they get my guns?” Tony asks in disbelief and panic.

The Alpha ignores him. “Do you understand me? Do as I do!”

One of the Alphas, the leader, starts to speak. Tony thinks it’s Arabic; he can’t tell. He indicates for Tony’s fellow captive to translate.

“He says, ‘Welcome, Tony Stane, the most famous mass murderer in the history of America,’” the other captive translates as the other Alpha speaks, “He is honored. He wants you to build the missile. The Jericho missile that you demonstrated.”

The Alpha leader passes a photograph to the other Alpha, who shows it to Tony. “This one.”

Tony doesn’t hesitate in his answer. “I refuse.”

Tony’s captors don’t take his refusal particularly well. They waterboard him.

Each time they dunk him, they keep him under just until he edges upon a plane of unconsciousness, then they drag him up again for a moment or two of breath and to scream at him before repeating the process. The pain of it is excruciating. Tony’s lungs are burning. His nostrils are burning. His head hurts and he is dizzy from the lack of oxygen. On top of all that, there is the electromagnet that they put inside him. A couple of drops of water in the wrong place and Tony was in for a world of trouble. (Not that he wasn’t _already_ in one.)

As much as his brain allows him to in this situation, Tony thinks about the people he is holding out for, both in life and in his refusal to build these terrorists a weapon of mass destruction. He thinks of his family. He thinks of Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy, but most of all he thinks of his sons. He thinks of his strong Zeke, his sweet Peter, his mischievous Harley, and his adorable Jamie. Tony’s holding on for them.

They continue to waterboard him until he passes out. Then, they wake him up and start the process again.

They do this for days. Tony doesn’t know exactly how long.

One day, they don’t shove his face into the tank of water. Instead, the shove a sack over his head and drag him out of the cave. Or at least that’s what Tony thinks they’re doing since he can sense the change in light through the bag. That, however, isn’t any help in adjusting to the brightness of the sun that feels as though it nearly blinds him as they rip the bag off his head. Tony notices that they brought the other captive out with him.

He looks around the camp. There are dozens of men, all heavily armed. They start to drag Tony in one direction. He sees a variety of weapons scattered in front of the entrance of the cave. They all have his name on them. Tony’s heart sinks.

They stop in front of a pile of scrap metal and spare parts. The Alpha leader speaks. Tony’s fellow captive translates once again.

“He wants to know what you think.”

“I think you got a lot of my weapons,” Tony says irritated.

“He says they have everything you need to build the Jericho missile. He wants you to make a list of materials. He says for you to start working immediately, and when you’re done, he will set you free.”

The Alpha leader extends his hand to Tony. Tony takes it with a bitter smile. “No, he won’t.”

“No, he won’t,” the Alpha captive agrees.

Later that evening, Tony and the Alpha captive sit in silence in front of the fire as they usually do most nights following Tony’s torture. It is their only source of heat in the dreary cave they are held in.

The Alpha breaks the silence, “I'm sure they're looking for you, Stane. But they will never find you in these mountains. Look, what you just saw, that is your legacy, Stane. Your life's work, in the hands of those murderers. Is that how you want to go out? Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stane? Or are you going to do something about it?”

“What great acts of defiance might you be talking about exactly?” Tony scoffs. He’s been an obedient little Omega all his life. “And why should I do anything? They're going to kill me, you, either way. And if they don’t, I'll probably be dead in a week.” Tony’s lost track of time, but it’s been at least three weeks in captivity, and that’s just since he’s been conscious. He has slowly been starting to lose hope that he’ll ever make it home.

“Well, then,” the Alpha starts with a glint of _something_ in his eyes, “this is a very important week for you isn’t it?”

Tony sits in that for a minute before his resolve turns steely. Why was he even considering giving up? He had to get back to his family. To Rhodey. To Pepper. To Happy. To Zeke. To Peter. To Harley. To Jamie. He had to get back home.

So Tony thinks and thinks, his brain running a thousand miles per minute as he tries to figure a way out of this hellhole.

Then, it comes to him.

The next morning, he tells the other Alpha to finally agree to do their bidding. Tony has work to do. _He’s going home._

They bring him all the things he needs, and he starts working under their watchful eye.

Tony learns about his captors. The Ten Rings. The terrorist group that has been using _his weapons._

His fellow captive helps him through the entire process, even though he has no idea what Tony is planning or doing. He learns the Alpha’s name. Yinsen.

It takes a couple of days. But he finally finishes. Well, he finishes the first part. As Tony puts a couple of last touches on the device, it glows a bright white color, illuminating his and Yinsen’s faces.

“Wow,” Yinsen says in awe, “That doesn’t look like a Jericho missile.”

“That’s because,” Tony responds, “It’s a miniature arc reactor. I got a big one powering my factory at home. It should keep the shrapnel out of my heart.”

“But what could it generate?” Yinsen asks curiously.

“If my math is right,” Tony answers, “and it always is, three gigajoules per second.”

“That could run your heart for 50 lifetimes,” the Alpha says in disbelief.

“Yeah. Or something big for 15 minutes.”

Tony walks over to another work station, and Yinsen follows. He shuffles thin pieces of paper with schematics on them one on top of the other over the flat light source on the table. “This our ticket out of here.”

“What is it?”

“Flatten them out and look,” Tony says as he demonstrates. The flattened out papers on top of the light align all the different parts of the project on separate pieces of paper. You could see the envisioned final product.

“Oh wow. Impressive,” Yinsen breathes out.

They just might make it out of there.

Putting the arc reactor in was stressful. At least for Tony, who had a mini panic attack thinking about removing something from his body that was keeping him alive, no matter that it was just an electromagnet connected to a car battery. Yinsen is patient with him, talks him through his panic and reassures Tony he knows what he is doing, even in such an unprecedented situation. Tony is inclined to believe him. The man did successfully perform heart surgery on him with limited resources in a cave after he had a hole blown into his torso.

So Tony lays back and lets Yinsen do his work. However, the Alpha looming above him is far too reminiscent of another Alpha. Tony starts to breathe heavier but tries to remind his brain that this is not Obie and that Yinsen is not like Obie. Even though he is an Alpha, he is kind and patient. As if to prove his point, the Alpha notices his distress (though probably without knowing the true reason for it) and gives his shoulder a squeeze of encouragement and sends him a reassuring smile. Yinsen was not Obie.

Yinsen carefully takes the electromagnet out of the casing and sets it aside. He has a couple of minutes now to make the switch. The Alpha takes the glowing white device and places it in the cavity in Tony’s chest, attaching all the necessary wires. He steps back and it’s done.

Now time for the next phase of the plan.

They don’t work all the time. At night, things wind down, Tony and Yinsen have some kind of supper in the form of whatever gruel they are provided. At these times, their captors don’t rush in and start yelling at signs of them slowing down. Tony guesses they acknowledge that Tony and Yinsen are human beings that need rest. So, at night they take it easy.

Some of the time, they sit in silence, both thinking about their respective lives from before, from outside of the cave. At least, that’s what Tony does, and what he thinks that Yinsen is doing too.

But sometimes, the silence becomes deafening, and thinking about the past they may never get back is painful. So instead, they play backgammon with an old board they found and leftover washers and nuts.

(And they talk.) 

“Good roll, good roll,” Yinsen says as Tony passes him the dice.

“You still haven’t told me where you’re from,” Tony says casually.

“I’m from a small town,” the Alpha says as he shakes the dice in hand, “It’s actually a nice place.”

“Got a family?”

“Yes, and I will see them when I leave here.” Yinsen looks up from the board and at Tony. “And you, Stane?”

Tony hesitates. He could lie right now. Just tell Yinsen about Zeke. But he found that he couldn’t bring himself to lie the way he has the last decade. And Tony trusts the Alpha. Yinsen has been the only solace in this godforsaken place. He wanted to tell the Alpha.

Tony takes a deep breath. “I do actually.”

Yinsen looks at him with slight surprise. “Tell me about them.”

That Tony can do easily. “Well, I have three close friends that I consider family for one. There’s Rhodey. He’s been my best friend since MIT. He saw a small 15-year-old Omega and decided to take him under his wing. I’m grateful for that all the time. Then there’s Pepper. She’s technically my PA, but she’s so much more than that. I’ve known her for about six years, but it feels like so much longer. It’s the same way with Happy, who’s my bodyguard and the best Alpha I know. I love them all so much. _But_ if we’re talking family in the traditional sense, I have 4 sons.”

Yinsen smiles. “If you have kids, then you have everything.”

Tony smiles back. “With them, it does feel like I have everything. Zeke is the oldest. He’s going to be 14 soon. God, time flies by. I remember the day I met him. It was after my honeymoon when I was setting up the house we lived in Massachusetts. I mean, I technically met him before, hell I held him for like an hour at the wedding, but I didn’t really become his mom until that day. No one can tell me he’s not mine, I don’t care that there’s no blood shared between us.”

“Then there’s Peter. He’s 7, or actually 8 now. His birthday is on February 24. That would’ve been a little less than 2 weeks after I was taken. He’s an Omega, but I’m going to make damn sure he doesn’t grow up the way I did. I don’t care what the world says about Omegas, I’m going to _give_ that boy the world. I remember being so scared when I was pregnant with him. I was really young. And then my mom died right before he was born. I like to think he ended up okay though.”

“Harley’s next. He’s 5, or he might be 6 now. His birthday is on March 14. I got pregnant with him the first Heat I had after Peter.* He’s an Alpha. I got to make sure that he doesn’t get a big head about being an Alpha like most do, no offense. He’s my adorably mischievous one. Peter is usually sweet until he gets pulled into anything with his little brother. The older he gets the more trouble he makes. I love him though. My little rascal.”

“My youngest is James. He’s my baby. He’s 26 months and walking and talking now. He’s a Beta like Zeke, and I named him after the two greatest Betas I know. He was definitely a surprise. I was on birth control that got canceled out by some antibiotics. He wasn’t even conceived during a Heat. I’m glad though. I love him. I love all of them. And I can’t wait to get back home to them.”

Yinsen looks contemplative. “I only know of Zeke Stane. Your husband’s child from a previous marriage. But even then, that’s only in passing.”

“That’s on purpose. I didn’t want my kids to grow up the way I did, with cameras flashing and everyone having an opinion on their lives. Zeke was already known, but I did my best to make sure he stayed out of the press. It’s hard to keep them all a secret when I love them so much and would like nothing better than to show off my amazing children. But it’s better for them this way.”

Yinsen nods, “We all do things for the betterment of our children, so they can survive, thrive in this world.”

He stops for a moment before he continues, “I was raised in China. I was born here in Afghanistan, but my father always wanted to get out. He was a scientist, and research and development aren’t as expansive here as in other places in the world, especially back then. My father got a job in Beijing when I was 4. It was hard for him, as the only brown person at his work, in daily life. It was hard for my mother too. So they assimilated, as much as they could.”

“They both had created a professional standing with their names and couldn’t exactly change that, but I was only 4. So they changed my name to Yinsen Ho, or rather Ho Yinsen by American standards. It helped a little, especially professionally because at least on paper I didn’t seem like a foreigner. But I still look like one. It didn’t matter that my Mandarin was perfect and that I had lived there my whole life. China wasn’t a land of immigrants the way America is, or even a lot of Western countries. Even the foreigners that usually do live there, are European white.”

“I was different. I always felt that way. And I always felt something missing. So after living and studying in China for 25 years. I went back to the town my family was from, Gulmira. I had never been there. My parents never taught me Dari or Pashto. But I wanted to connect to my culture, tap into this unexplored part of my identity. I learned both Dari and Pashto while living there. I became the local doctor. I was still able to go to conferences around the world and continue my research and medical practices, it was just a tad more difficult. I met my wife in Gulmira; She’s a strong-headed, openhearted Beta. We settled there, and I’ve never looked back.”

“I still use Ho Yinsen since, like my parents, it was the name I grew into professionally. But my family, my friends, and the rest of Gulmira know me as Yahya. Yahya Hadad Khan.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Yahya.**”

They sit in comfortable silence, an ease that Tony has built with Yahya in weeks that he hasn’t been able to build with his own Alpha in ten years.

As if the Alpha had read his mind, Yahya says, “You didn’t speak about your husband, Obadiah Stane.” It was both a question and a statement.

Tony laughs humorlessly. “My father married me off to his preferred successor when I was 18, though the engagement was from when I was 16, because I’m an Omega. And Omegas can’t initiate divorce unless there’s a serious case of abuse. Even those are usually brushed under the rug. Let’s just say, I didn’t forget you from Bern because I was drunk, I forgot you because of the severe concussion I got from my husband teaching me a lesson after getting ‘too cozy with some Beta woman.’”

Tony doesn’t let Yahya get a word in as he continues, “We have to get up early to continue working tomorrow. Or else they’ll come crashing in to bother us. Good night.”

And that was that.

They got a rhythm going. Slowly, they were manufacturing the parts necessary for the suit of armor. Their captors had yet to catch onto what they were actually building, even though that would only last for so long. Things were going as well as they could. So of course, the universe had to throw a wrench into their plans.

Tony doesn’t notice it at first. He attributes the fatigue and dizziness to the lack of nourishment provided in captivity in a cave. He barely registers the beginning sensations of heat spreading through his body as a result of the blazing heat of Afghanistan during the day. Then a bout of dizziness has him stumbling into Yahya’s arms.

“I’m in Heat,” Tony gasps in realization, “It must at least be the beginning of April, then. But it’s probably later as I would’ve definitely had a delay because of all this.”

Yahya continues to look at him in bewilderment.

“Don’t let them find out I’m in Heat! You need to help me through this, please!” Tony all but cries out.

“N-no, I-I can’t,” the Alpha stutters out.

Tony grabs him by his shoulders. “I know, you have a wife and a family. But if they find out and get to me first and I get pregnant, which believe me is very likely, then I will be tied to one of them for the rest of my life. You know that Alphas have full claim over any children they have, but I could never in good conscience just give my kid away to one of these people. I’d rather it be you than them. I know this is a lot to ask of you, but please!”

“They will see us,” Yahya tries to argue.

“I know a blind spot in the cameras,” Tony refutes, “I tracked the lines of sight of all the cameras, and found the one secluded nook of this cave that isn’t surveilled.”

Tony looks directly at Yahya, trying to discern the Alpha’s reaction and answer.

“Okay,” Yahya relents nervously, “okay.”

Yahya grabs a blanket from one of the cots, and Tony guides them to the blindspot. They lay the blanket on the ground and sit. It’s more awkward than Tony’s wedding night.

Finally, they look at one another. Yahya must see something in Tony’s face because his face softens and he reaches to cup Tony’s cheek. Yahya then makes the first move and leans in to kiss him. It’s a nice kiss, slow and sweet. It’s nicer than any kiss that Tony has had with Obie. Yahya brushes against the bitten (though it was slightly fading) bonding glands*** causing a jolt of electricity to run through Tony. Yahya runs his hand down Tony’s spine, from the base of his neck to the top of Tony’s pants. The Alpha grips the edge of Tony’s waistband and guides the younger man out of the pants without breaking the kiss. Slowly, they rid each other of every last piece of clothing.

Yahya takes his time prepping Tony, even though Omegas in Heat hardly need any, while whispering sweet nothings and reassurances, leaving Tony writhing in pleasure and whimpering and pleading for Yahya to just _get on with it._

When Yahya finally enters Tony, it is almost more intimate than Tony can take. It’s slow and steady, and the Alpha looks directly at Tony the entire time, kissing him sweetly every couple of strokes. He even reaches between them and strokes Tony’s cock in time with his thrusts. Yahya doesn’t try to turn him on his stomach and mount Tony. He doesn’t set a brutal pace from the beginning and expect Tony to just take it.

Tony comes first with a shout, splattering all over his and Yahya’s chests. A few moments later the Alpha’s knot locks the two together as he releases into Tony. Yahya and Tony fall back onto the blanket and are left breathless. The heat of the moment dissipates, and Tony starts to feel embarrassed again, his cheeks heating up.

Yahya seems to notice this and shushes the Omega prematurely. “Sleep, Tony.”

So they did.

The two captives wake up about a half-hour later. Yahya’s knot has deflated, but he was still inside Tony, causing the Omega to stutter in mortification, though the Alpha paid no mind.

Yahya pulls out of Tony and cleans the two of them off with a wet rag. They quickly put their clothes back on and make a show of working for the cameras, or at least as much as Tony is able to, as the Heat leaves him more fatigued than usual.

Every couple of hours when Tony’s Heat flares up and becomes too uncomfortable to bear, they slip away to the blindspot to dull the ache but come back as quickly as possible so as not to alert the Ten Rings. Sometimes they sleep when Yahya’s knot settles, tired from their activities, but sometimes they talk, when Tony isn’t feeling embarrassed and self-conscious. It’s the most comfortable Heat that Tony has ever shared with anyone.

Tony’s Heat lasts for 3 days, shorter than Tony’s usual 5-to-6-day Heats, and if even after it Yahya and Tony continue to share a cot, well, neither of them say anything about it.

Things settle again a day or two after Tony’s Heat. At least until it doesn’t. The Alpha leader opens the little slot in the metal door to yell the command for the captives to put their hands behind their heads, and a dozen of them march in.

They flank an Alpha Tony doesn’t recognize. _This must be their actual leader,_ Tony thinks.

“Relax,” the Alpha says to Tony. Tony slowly and hesitantly lowers his arms.

The Alpha walks towards Tony. “The bow and arrow,” he continues as he pulls down the neck of Tony’s top to expose the arc reactor before moving onto one of their work stations, “once was the pinnacle of weapons technology. It allowed the great Genghis Khan to rule from the Pacific to the Ukraine. An empire twice the size of Alexander the Great and four times the size of the Roman Empire.”

He moves toward the table behind Tony, picking up the slips of paper that make up the schematics of the suit. Tony’s heart rate picks up, even though he knew that there was no way for the man to know what all the plans make together unless he aligns them correctly over a light source. “But today, whoever holds the latest Stark weapons rules these lands. And soon, it will be my turn.”

The man starts to speak in Urdu, looking at Tony but presumably speaking to Yahya. Unbeknownst to anyone in the room, save for Tony himself and Yahya, Tony can actually understand Urdu.**** It is very close to Hindi, which Tony has learned for the sake of the SI division in Delhi. Tony, however, does not make this known and continues to play dumb. 

“What’s actually happening here?” The Alpha leader asks Yahya in Urdu.

“Nothing, sir,” Yahya answers nervously, “Just work.”

“Much time has passed,” the man says as he walks toward Yahya, “Where is the weapon?”

“He’s working very hard, but it’s a very difficult task.”

“On your knees,” the Ten Rings leader orders. One of the men grabs Yahya’s arm and forces him down.

“Tell me clearly what’s happening here,” the Alpha continues in Urdu as he does something at the work station that Tony can’t see from where he is.

He turns to reveal a lump of hot coal held between tongs. “Open your mouth.”

Tony can’t keep quiet any longer. “What does he want?” he asks, knowingly exactly what the man wanted.

The man ignores Tony and gets closer to Yahya. He forces Yahya’s head down, though the other Alpha resists. “Do you think I’m a fool? Tell me _exactly_ what’s going on here. Tell me right now.”

“Your Jericho.”

“Tell me right now!”

“Your Jericho.”

“Right now!”

Tony couldn’t let this happen. Not only was Yahya the father of his possible unborn child, but also someone Tony’s come to care for deeply in a short amount of time.

“What do you want a delivery date?” Tony asks as he moves closer, causing all the Betas and Alphas in the room to scramble and point their guns at Tony, yelling at him to get back.

The leader stops to look at Tony curiously. So Tony continues, “I need him. Good assistant.” He was far more than that, but the Alpha didn’t need to know.

The man walks closer to Tony, so close that Tony can feel his breath on Tony’s face. “You tell me,” he says in English, “What were you two doing when you were hiding away from the cameras?”

Tony hesitates before answering, it’s not like they can do anything about his Heat now “I was in Heat. Yinsen helped me through it. I didn’t want anyone else to know and do anything.” The implication was clear.

The Alpha scoffs, “As if my men would touch filth like you.” Tony refrains himself from rolling his eyes; the Alpha may say that, but the looks that some of the Alpha and Betas behind their leader send Tony’s way tell a whole other story.

“You have until tomorrow.” With that, the man walks out, his soldiers flanking him.

Yahya gets up breathlessly after they are gone. Tony runs up to the Alpha and throws his arms around him. Yahya doesn’t say anything, just holds the Omega even closer.

They don’t hug for long as they have work to do. They have to finish building the armored suit tonight.

They don’t completely finish before the Ten Rings figure them out. The explosive on the door buys them some time. But not enough. So Yahya does something stupid. He doesn’t stick to the plan. Tony wishes he had just _stuck to the plan._

Tony makes it out, but Yahya…

_Tony blazes his way through dozens of minions as he walks through the extensive network of caves._

_He finally spots Yahya. “Yahya!” He yells._

_At the same time, the Alpha yells, “Watch out!” Tony looks up just in time as the Ten Rings leader sends a rocket launcher his way. Tony moves slightly to the left, and the missile collides with a cave wall. Tony quickly sends his own missile back, resulting in an avalanche of rocks falling onto his captor._

_Tony quickly goes to Yahya, lifting up his faceplate._

_“Tony,” the man says softly, most likely in pain._

_“Come on. We got to go,” Tony rambles, “Move for me, come on. We got a plan. We’re gonna stick to it.”_

_Yahya closes his eyes. “This was always the plan, Tony.”_

_Tony continues desperately, “Come on, you’re gonna go see your family. Get up.”_

_“My family is dead. I’m going to see them now, Tony.”_

_“What about your child, Yahya? Our child! They deserve to have their Alpha, their father in their life!”_

_“I’m sure their mother will make up for it, Tony. It’s okay. I want this. I want this.”_

_Tony tries to think of the words that would make Yahya change his mind. There aren’t any. “Thank you for saving my life,” Tony says quietly instead._

_“Thank **you** for giving me the best final days I could ask for. Better than I had ever hoped after losing my family. You’re a good man, Tony. Let the world know. Don’t waste your life. Do better, for your kids, for **our** kid.” Then the Alpha takes his last breath._

_Tony leaves the cave, blazing in fury. He’s going to finish this. For Yahya._

Tony had crash-landed in the desert after completely obliterating the Ten Rings encampment. He spends days walking, trying to find a lick of civilization. If not somewhere he could contact home, somewhere he could rest and eat and drink water.

He has shucked off the armor, which is now buried somewhere under the desert of Afghanistan. He has a cloth over his head and shoulders to avoid the beaming sun coming in direct contact with as much of his skin as possible. Tony’s mouth is starting to get dry; he curses himself for not thinking to carry water in any way with him. He’s tired, more so than he’s ever been in his entire life.

But he keeps going for the people he cares about. He thinks of Happy. Of Rhodey. And Pepper. Of Zeke and Peter and Harley and Jamie. But most of all. He thinks about Yahya.

_Yahya and Tony lay naked side-by-side, in no hurry to get up so late at night when they aren’t expected to be working. They lay together in comfortable silence. Tony is getting closer and closer to slumber._

_Yahya breaks the silence, taking Tony away from a state of lethargy. “Am I the only Alpha you’ve been with other than your husband?”_

_“You’re the only **person** I’ve been with other than my husband.”_

_Yahya turns to look at the Omega. “What about…” he trails off._

_Tony smiles sardonically. “My husband can’t seem to stay away from beautiful women. And it’s better for Stark Industries’ reputation for the faces of the company to be known as a kinky power couple in the business world than the world knowing Obie sleeps with anything that moves despite being married for a decade.”_

_“And you…” The question hangs in the air._

_“Didn’t return the favor? The one time I got close to someone else was in Bern, and you know how that turned out. I didn’t even do anything with the woman, we just bonded over science. But I guess there were sparks there and Obie obviously noticed that as well.”_

_“Well,” Yahya starts after sitting with that information for a minute, bringing Tony closer to him, “I’m honored that I get to show you how an Alpha should actually treat an Omega.”_

Yahya is the best Alpha Tony has ever known in his life, save for Happy, and he sacrificed his life so that Tony could continue living. Tony wouldn’t give up. He _couldn’t_ give up.

Tony is exhausted. He can’t give up, for his family, for Yahya. But he can’t help but lose a bit of hope. He’s been walking for at least 3 days now, with breaks to rest and sleep in between, without any success. He was starting to feel as though he wouldn’t find anything in time. Then the impossible happens.

Tony hears them before he sees them. Tony turns around violently, almost tipping himself over, and there they were. Helicopters flying in his direction.

“Hey,” Tony screams out, “Hey!” The helicopter lands a couple of dozen meters in front of him. He falls onto his knees at the weight of his relief, his hand reached out toward the sky. _He’s been found. He can finally go home._

The soldiers are running towards them and as they come closer Tony can start to make them out. It’s Rhodey. Rhodey came for him. Tony can feel his eyes watering.

“How was the Fun-vee?” Rhodey asks jokingly, but Tony can hear the relief and joy in his voice. Tony can feel the tears falling now. Rhodey goes to his knees and embracing Tony, squeezing Tony as tight as possible, as if he would disappear any second now. “Next time you ride with me.”

Tony can only nod, the adrenaline wearing off. The last thing he thinks before he falls unconscious in Rhodey’s arms due to dehydration and exhaustion, _Yahya, I made it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Omegas miss 4 Heat cycles immediately after a pregnancy that goes full term. One can get pregnant outside of a Heat; Heats and Ruts are just periods of higher fertility for Omegas and Alpha, respectively. If an Omega’s Heat and an Alpha’s Rut align, there is 99% guarantee of conception (unless the Omega is on birth control, but the effect of the birth control is weakened from 97% prevention to 63%). 
> 
> **Yinsen will be referred to as Yahya for generally the rest of the fic, unless Tony deliberately calls him Yinsen. 
> 
> ***Reminder: Everyone has bonding glands by which biting it (usually during sex) creates a bond. These bonding bites fade over time. In order to create long-lasting bonds, bonding bites need to be refreshed. This is traditionally during Heat for Omegas and Rut for Alphas, but can be done whenever, as done by Betas. Bonding glands are located on the junction between the neck and shoulder for Alphas, on the junction between the underside of the chin and neck for Betas, and on the back of the neck near the upper back for Omegas. 
> 
> ****This was totally self-indulgent. I understand Hindi/Urdu, so I made Tony understand it. 
> 
> The chapter title is from _Champion_ by Fall Out Boys. It was going to be something else (that I will be saving for a later chapter), but I was listening to the song as I was writing, and it just felt right. 
> 
> That was Afghanistan. My favorite part was the progression of Tony and Yahya's (Yinsen) relationship. Peep the many comparisons made with Obie. 
> 
> It's looking like this will hopefully be a weekly update. Cross your fingers it stays regular. 
> 
> Also, if y'all haven't check out the [one-shot](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24386725) that is set right after Tony's disappearance in a mix of Pepper and Zeke's POVs. You can find said one-shot in the [series](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1753996) this fic is in. I remember someone commented asking for everyone's feelings on Tony being gone, and they must be psychic cuz I was in the middle of writing this one-shot when I saw that.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr as [i-put-the-bi-in-hijabi](https://i-put-the-bi-in-hijabi.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated! Let me know what your favorite part is in the comments!


	4. There's More I Gained Cuz It Led Me Back to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony comes home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW/TW - some physical abuse, slight sexual manipulation

When Tony comes to, he’s in a sterile white room laying on a cot that was definitely not the one in the cave. He looks to his right and sees Rhodey asleep with his hands folded in his lap and his head lolled off to the side on a chair next to Tony’s cot. That didn’t look comfortable.

Tony’s memory finally catches up with him. He got out. They found him. He was going home.

Then, he starts to realize where he is. _A hospital._ In a panic, Tony scrambles to feel up his chest, ignoring the tug of the IV attached to him. He sighs in relief. His arc reactor is still there, still covered.

Tony must have made some sort of commotion in his frenzy as Rhodey jolts awake.

“Tony! Oh my god, you’re awake.” The Air Force Major gets up rapidly, moving closer to Tony.

Tony lifts himself up on the bed, despite his friend’s protests. “I missed you so goddamn much Rhodey,” Tony nearly sobs as he reaches his arm around Rhodey. The Beta immediately wraps his arms around the Omega as well.

Rhodey lets go first, and as he moves back, he gives Tony an odd look. He reaches out and fingers the collar of Tony’s shirt, pulling it down ever so-slightly. “Tony,” Rhodey starts to ask, looking directly at the device in the younger man’s chest, “What is this?”

“It’s an arc reactor,” Tony answers, “It’s keeping me alive. A Stark missile blew a hole into my chest. It’s keeping shrapnel from reaching my heart.”

Rhodey stays silent. Tony continues, “They had my weapons. The guys that took me. They had my weapons and I don’t know how. But I’m going to figure it out. First thing after I get home.”

This time Tony doesn’t give Rhodey a chance to respond. “Listen, you have to make sure no one finds out about it, okay Rhodey? You can’t let the doctor touch me, please. No one can know that I have the arc reactor in my chest.”

“Okay, okay,” Rhodey soothes, “You know I have your back, Tony. No matter what. And we’re going to come back to the fact that terrorists have Stark weaponry when we get you home.”

That’s when the doctor decides to walk in. Tony scrambles to cover up the arc reactor with Rhodey stepping in front of the Omega to help him do so.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Demir,” the Beta man says without looking up from the clipboard he had in hand, “And I will be the physician examining you today, From Stane.”

“Actually,” Rhodey says, “You won’t be doing anything. From Stane will be leaving now and checked over at home. So if you would please bring us the discharging forms, that would be much appreciated.”

The doctor looks frazzled at that. “I must insist—”

“From Stane is a bonded Omega,” Rhodey interrupts, “And without Mr. Stane’s permission or presence, you cannot legally examine From Stane. So the papers please.”

“Fine,” the doctor bites, “But we took some bloodwork, and the test results came back so I may as well tell you those. Most of it states the obvious: high blood pressure, low blood sugar, low cholesterol, all likely due to malnutrition. However, the test results also state that you are pregnant, about a week or so. It is too early to be detected through your scent, which is why it wasn’t obvious immediately. That should change soon, however. Considering the circumstances, I will hold my congratulations. I will leave you to inform your Alpha about that, and you can talk about your options with him and your obstetrician. I will go get you those forms now.”

Rhodey falls back into the chair as Dr. Demir rushes out of the room. He is dangerously quiet.

“Rhodey,” Tony starts.

“Tell me,” Rhodey interrupts quietly, but the anger in his low voice was palpable, “that they didn’t touch you. Tell me that they didn’t—” Rhodey choked before he could get the words out.

“No, no, no,” Tony reassures, “I swear Rhodey that is not what happened. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

“What am I supposed to think Tony?” Rhodey almost yells, “You’re only one week pregnant! What else am I supposed to think?”

“There was another captive there. He’s the one that performed surgery that saved my life in the cave. He helped me build this and the device that got me out of there. He sacrificed his life for mine. He helped me through my Heat, made sure our captors didn’t find out I was in one. It’s his.”

Rhodey visibly calms down and just looks at Tony knowingly for a moment. “You loved this man.” It’s not a question.

“I cared for him,” the younger man admits, “He’s the best Alpha I’ve ever known, other than Happy. He was good to me, better than Obie’s ever been. His name was Yahya.”

“Well, I’m glad,” the Air Force officer says softly, “that you had someone there. And that you had someone treat you right at least once in your life.”

“Me too, Rhodey, me too.”

Tony is brimming with excitement. He would be bouncing on the balls of his feet, had Rhodey not forced him into a wheelchair right when he left that Middle Eastern hospital.

The military plane finally lands and Tony can see Happy and Pepper as the walkway lowers. Rhodey takes Tony’s hand and guides the Omega down, ignoring his grumblings. An EMT with a gurney approaches as Tony and Rhodey reach the ground. “Are you kidding me with this? Get rid of it,” Tony scoffs. He didn’t let Dr. Demir examine him because of the arc reactor, why would he let anyone else?

Rhodey releases Tony’s hand, and walks off toward a group of military personnel, probably to debrief. He was a true bureaucrat at heart.

Pepper’s smile widens as Tony walks toward her. “Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss?” Tony asks in jest.

“Tears of joy,” Pepper says, playing along, “I hate job hunting.”

“Yeah, vacation’s over,” Tony continues to joke. Tony pulls Pepper into a hug first, and then Happy, both squeezing him long and hard.

“It’s good to have you back, Boss,” Happy says as pulls backs.

All three of them walk toward the car. “You didn’t bring the kids?”

Pepper grimaces, “Obie didn’t want me to bring them, said it was too public. He didn’t want to pull them out of school either, but they should be out in 2 hours or so. Happy is going straight to pick up Zeke after dropping you off.”

“And where is my darling husband?” Tony asks sardonically as he ducks into the car.

“He’s going to meet us at the hospital. Speaking of which, take us to the hospital, please, Happy.”

“No.”

“No? Tony, you have to go to to the hospital,” Pepper exclaims.

“No is a complete answer,” Tony quips.

“The doctor has to look at you.”

“I don’t have to do anything,” Tony responds haughtily, “There are 3 things I want. I want an American cheeseburger, for one.”

“And to see your kids, we know,” Pepper interrupts.

“Well, yes, but I also want you to start looking into people and weapons orders and shipments in SI.”

“What?” Pepper asks confused, “Why?”

“They had my weapons, Pepper. Guns, missiles, bombs, whatever Stark Industries sells weapons-wise, they had. I need to figure out how.”

“Oh my god, Tony,” Pepper says, baffled, “Of course. I’ll look into it straight away.”

“Happy, drive. Cheeseburger first. Let’s get takeout from the diner in Brooklyn that all the boys love. I’ve got to make up somehow for missing almost all of their birthdays.”

“Actually…” Pepper trails off with a grimace.

“What now?” Tony asks exasperated.

“Obie called for a press conference. It would’ve been right after your visit to the hospital, but since you refuse to go, well…”

Tony sighs, “Of course he did.”

So they go to SI Malibu first to Obie’s press conference. There’s a crowd of people in front of the building that starts applauding as the car pulls up. Obie meets Tony right at the car, opening the door for the Omega and greeting him with a kiss, both passionate and performative. “We were supposed to meet at the hospital,” the Alpha says as he pulls away.

“I’m fine, babe,” Tony says, smiling at Obie in the way people expected an Omega reunited with his Alpha would smile.

Obie guides Tony into the building and onto the podium of SI Malibu’s press room, a solid grip on his waist. “Look who’s here,” Obie says in a false-excited tone.

As Tony settles at the podium, Obie moves off to the side, standing where Pepper and Rhodey stood, the two Betas dutifully poised behind Tony in support of the Omega.

“I’m going to keep this short,” Tony starts, looking out into the crowd of cameras and journalists. “On February 13, I was in a convoy that got attacked, and I was the target. I was taken by these insurgents and held for the last three months. They tortured me, but they did not rape me. Fortunately, on May 1, just a day ago, top Air Force officers found and liberated me. That is all I will say on the matter; I would like to go home to my son now. I will not be taking any questions. Thank you and goodbye.”

Tony walks off the podium to the resounding sound of screaming reporters and just catches Obie’s furious look as he moves to leave the building. As he exits, Tony can hear Obie tell the press that Pepper and Rhodey will be continuing the conference. Tony continues to walk off and towards the limo (God Obie is so excessive sometimes) waiting outside the building.

“Take me home please,” Tony tells the driver who is not Happy as the Alpha had gone off to get Zeke from Pasadena as soon he left Tony at SI. Not more than a millisecond after Tony closed the door of the car, Obie rips it open and climbs in. He looks livid.

“Drive,” Obie commands before he presses the button that puts up the sound-proofing barrier (Tony’s own addition). As soon as it’s up, Obie grips Tony’s arm and twists it behind 

Tony’s back. It takes everything in Tony’s fragile state not to cry out. “What the fuck was that?” Obie asks harshly.

“I’ve been through hell and back in the last few months, Obie,” Tony bites out, “The last thing I wanted to do was parade myself in front of the fucking press. I just want to go home to my kids who I haven’t seen in three goddamn months!”

“Well it’s your fucking job,” Obie growls, twisting Tony’s arm just a bit more, “You are the face of Stark Industries. I don’t care what the fuck happened in Afghanistan, you don’t fucking pull that shit.”

“You want to know what happened in Afghanistan, Obie?” Tony yells. He painfully and with difficulty twists out of Obie’s grip and rips open his shirt to expose the arc reactor. “I almost died! And I had to put this in me to keep myself alive!”

Obie was stunned into silence. Tony curses internally. It was a miscalculation, revealing the arc reactor to Obie in anger like this. Sure, there was no way Tony could hide this from Obie as the man was his Alpha, but this was not how he wanted his husband to find out.

“Is that,” Obie starts to ask as he looks closer and runs his fingers on the metal device, “an arc reactor? A miniaturized arc reactor?”

“Yeah,” Tony says breathlessly, unsure of what else he could say.

“That’s amazing.” Obie pauses. “Listen to me, Tony. We’re a team. Do you understand?” Tony doesn’t see the slap coming but he feels the sting and force of it the second Obie’s touch leaves his skin. “But don’t you ever talk back to me like that again, Omega.”

“Okay,” Tony says quietly as he nods, picking his head back up. Tony looks at Obie for a minute before resting his head on the Alpha’s shoulder. The other man automatically wraps an arm around the smaller and younger man. “I missed you Alpha,” Tony utters softly, ever so calculating. There have been only a handful of times where Tony has sought Obie out, mostly when he was younger and feeling lonely or craving intimacy. But this was nothing like those times, though he was trying to make Obie seem so. This was a calculated move.

Obie lifts Tony’s chin up with his pointer finger. “Did you now, Omega?” The Alpha smirks. “You missed your April Heat. Must’ve had it in Afghanistan.” The touch of one finger becomes a grip between two. “Tell me, did you let anyone else touch you there?”

“I didn’t have my Heat,” Tony lies, praying his husband was as ignorant of Omega biology as he seemed to be, “I must’ve not had it because of stress and malnourishment. And I wasn’t lying during the press conference. They didn’t rape me. They waterboarded me.”

“Good,” Obie growls, “Because you’re mine.” The Alpha takes that moment to take Tony’s mouth into a searing kiss. Soon, clothes were flying off, and Tony had Obie right where he wanted him.

This would hopefully buy him the next couple of months.

Tony and Obie clean up and become presentable by the time they reach their Malibu mansion. Tony straightens out his clothes and moves to get out of the car. He notices that 

Obie doesn’t follow and gives the older man a questioning look, “You aren’t going to come in with me?”

Obie shakes his head, “I’ve been home a lot because you’ve been gone. I need to go to New York and pacify the Board.”

And with that, the Alpha drives away, leaving Tony standing in front of his home for the first time in months. _He’s finally going to see his kids._

Tony nearly throws the door open in his enthusiasm. As soon as the door opened, two small, blurred figures barreled into him. “Momma!” They bawl in unison.

“Peter. Harley,” Tony sobs as he clutches the two young boys against him, ignoring the ache of his muscles and bones and finally letting out the turmoil of emotions he has felt being away from his family. Looking up, Tony sees Zeke standing a few feet away, lip quivering as the boy tries to keep the tears at bay. “Why are you just standing there, kiddo?” Tony asks wetly. “Come over here.”

That seems to be all Zeke needs to hear, as the adolescent Beta takes off towards the Omega, similarly to his younger brothers. “Momma, you’re home!” Zeke wails as he throws himself towards the Omega, “You’re finally home!” Tony’s chest becomes tight; Zeke hasn’t called him Momma in years.

“I’m here, I’m here,” Tony soothes, running his hands through the hair and along the back and limbs of his children, trying to make the scents of despair and sadness wafting off his children go away. It just makes them hang on even tighter. He presses a hard kiss atop each boy’s head.

“I know you kids missed your mom,” a voice in front of them starts. Tony looks up to see Happy beaming a couple of feet away, Jamie in tow. The baby immediately starts fussing upon seeing his mother, squirming and reaching out to Tony, as if he was trying to bridge the distance between them. Happy walks closer to the little family in order to hand Jamie off to Tony. “But he has been traveling and on his feet for a long time and the food is about to get cold.”

Zeke pulls away first and immediately as though he’d been struck by lightning. Happy takes the chance to give the baby Beta to the Omega, Jamie already reaching out so far he was nearly out of Happy’s grasp. Tony immediately takes his toddler son, peppering kisses on the little boy’s face. “Oh my god, Happy’s right! You need food, Mom!” Zeke exclaims. 

Harley and Peter reluctantly let go of their mother so he can move freely. Then, the adolescent Beta drags Tony to the living room where they had an impressive spread of food set up, the younger children on their heels.

The Omega looks in surprise. “You got food from the diner in Brooklyn.”

Zeke beams. “Of course we did. Uncle Happy said it was one of the first things you asked for.”

Tony’s face softens. “While I do love their food, the biggest reason why I asked for it is that you guys love it. I’ve been gone so long and I’ve missed nearly all of your birthdays. I have to make up for it somehow.”

“You don’t have to make up for anything, Momma” Peter exclaims as harshly as the 8-year-old could.

“Yeah,” Harley piped in, “It’s not your fault, Momma. You didn’t want to leave us, right?”

Tony reaches down to cup his Alpha son’s cheek. “ _Of course_ I didn’t want to leave you guys. I would _never_ choose to leave you like that.”

“Then there’s nothing to make up for,” Zeke says firmly.

Jamie, ever so receptive to the scents and behaviors of his family, squirmed in Tony’s arms to face his mother. “Momma, no,” the toddler pouts angrily as he slaps a small hand onto Tony’s forehead.

Tony can’t help the small smile the started to grow on his face. His boys were all as stubborn as he was. So he lets it go and enjoys a meal with his family.

Though Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy are all there, Tony uses this time to focus on his children. He lets Peter and Harley babble on about the last three months, everything from school to Nanny Clara, both boys eager to share with their mother. Zeke, on the other hand, is quiet, Tony having to pry information out of him. Zeke’s worry and sorrow are written so clearly on his face that Tony’s attempts become half-hearted. He knows that he will have to talk to the Beta privately later.

“Okay, I am beat,” Tony declares after all the food is gone, “Boys, do you wanna join me for a nap? I’m tired, but I still want to be with all my babies.”

After receiving enthusiastic responses, Tony bids adieu to his closest friends and takes his children up to his bedroom. He hands Jamie over to Zeke while he changes into comfortable clothes to sleep in. Tony is then the first to get on the bed, though his kids followed quickly after.

No one says anything at first, simply cuddling in silence. Slowly, Jamie, Harley, and Peter all fall asleep. Jamie was due for a nap anyway, and the other young boys were tired from a hectic day. Only Zeke and Tony are left awake.

“Baby, can you tell me what’s wrong? I’ve noticed something off with you all through lunch,” Tony says softly, hoping not to wake the others.

“You’re the one who was kidnapped and imprisoned by terrorists,” Zeke rebuts, “We should be worrying about you. Not the other way around.”

“I am your mother. I will _always_ worry about you. It is my job to. I always want you to come to me when something is wrong, no matter what. Now tell me what’s going through that brain of yours?”

It was all that Zeke needed to hear. It opened the flood gates. “I thought you were dead,” Zeke says with tears streaming down his face, “I wanted to be hopeful, but a part of me thought you were dead, and that belief just grew stronger with each day there was no news.”

“Oh baby.” Tony reaches out to bring Zeke flush against his side, careful not to jostle awake the baby sleeping on his chest, the Alpha clinging to his other side, or the Omega wrapped around his leg.

“And I had to be the strong one for Peter, Harley, and Jamie. I know that we had Aunt Pepper and Uncle Happy, but they still had their own lives, especially Aunt Pepper who had to deal with SI stuff. I didn’t really have anyone to talk about it with. I didn’t have you, and a part of me thought I lost you forever.”

Tony takes one of Zeke’s hands into his own and squeezes it lightly. “I will always _fight_ to come back to you. I promise you that, okay? I know the last 3 months have been hard, and it’ll take more than just this to make you feel better, but I’m here and I’m here for you.”

Zeke nods and tucks his head into the crook of Tony’s neck. Tony then runs his hand through Zeke’s hair until the adolescent Beta slowly falls asleep, the last of his children to do so.

Tony, however, cannot bring himself to fall asleep. Being surrounded by his children makes him think of the little bundle of cells currently nestled in his womb and the sire of said bundle of cells. He isn’t sure how he’s going to do this. How he is going to hide his unborn child’s parentage from his Alpha. Sure, in sleeping with the older man today he will be able to fib the due date to make him believe the child is his, but what about after they are born? There is no way that Tony will be able to pass off a child with South Asian features as the biological child of two white people.

 _But I’ll figure something out. I have to,_ Tony thinks as he fingers the chain around his neck. Soon, as his fingers glide across the stainless steel, he is met with a matching pair of gold rings, wedding rings. The Omega is instantly taken back to when the rings were given to him.

_Tony watches as Yahya absent-mindedly played with the two rings dangling from his neck. Tony wonders if the Alpha even realized what he was doing. Curious, Tony couldn’t help himself from asking questions, “Is that your wedding ring?”_

_Yahya looks down at the chain startled, as if he didn’t even realize what he was doing. Then the Alpha shook his head as he turned toward Tony, “No, no. These were actually my parents’ wedding rings. I inherited them after they passed a couple of years ago.”_

_“I’m sorry for your loss,” Tony said sincerely, “I’m sure it’s nice to have something to remember them by.”_

_“It is.” Yahya looks back down at the rings hanging off the chain. The Alpha then swiftly took the chain off and fastens it around the Omega’s neck._

_“Yahya, what are you doing?” Tony stutters, “These were your parents’!”_

_“I want you to have them,” the older man explained, “For our child to remember me by.”_

_“Our child will have you to remember you by,” Tony glared at the other man._

_Yahya chuckled. “I won’t always be there. My life and the rest of my family are here in Afghanistan. Our child will be staying with you, her mother.”_

_Tony stays quiet for a moment. “‘Her,’ huh?”_

_Yahya’s grin grows wider, “Well, that’s just a feeling I have.”_

Tony looks closely at the rings. Both have inscriptions on them in Pashto. Tony, who has decided to take on the language of his unborn child’s sire, could recognize one word on the smaller ring. _Yahya._

When Yahya said that had always been the plan, he truly meant it, Tony thinks. _Don’t worry Yahya, I’ll make sure they remember you._

Tony has a problem. While the Omega had done the best that he could with what he had in the cave, it is obvious that his current arc reactor would not be able to hold up much longer. So obviously, Tony makes a new one with the best materials in his state-of-the-art workshop.

That’s not his problem, however. Tony can’t put the arc reactor in himself. He needs someone with more slender fingers. He knows just who to call.

“JARVIS, connect to Pepper.”

“Of course, sir. You are now connected to Ms. Potts.”

“Pepper, how big are your hands?”

“What?” Pepper questions on the other side of the line.

“How big are your hands?” Tony repeats.

“I don’t understand why…” Pepper can’t even finish before the inventor interrupted her.

“Get down here now.”

The line disconnects as Tony waits idly for Pepper to come down to his workshop. As soon as Pepper enters, Tony perks up. “Hey. Let’s see them. Show me your hands. Let’s see ‘em.”

The Beta hesitantly raises her hands as she walks towards Tony. “Oh wow. They are small. Very petite indeed. I just need your help for a sec.”

“Oh my god,” Pepper gasps once she gets close to the Omega, staring at the glowing device in Tony’s chest, “Is that the thing that’s keeping you alive.”

“It was. It is now an antique.” Tony lifts up the new arc reactor. “This is what will be keeping me alive for the foreseeable future. I’m swapping it up for an upgrade unit, and I just ran into a little speed bump.”

Pepper looks at Tony skeptically. “Speed bump, what does that mean?”

“We could’ve helped you, Momma” a small voice cries out from behind Tony.

Tony and Pepper turn towards the child’s voice, this time belonging to Harley. Harley is doodling in his coloring book while Peter is playing a game of fetch with Dum-E, and both are in the sectioned off play area Tony made for his kids. Jamie is taking a nap in his playpen. Since coming back, Tony’s children have been rather adamant that they stay by Tony’s side as much as possible. Zeke would’ve been here as well if Tony hadn’t nagged the teenager into doing some homework this weekend if only to placate Obie about the Beta missing a couple of days of school.

“That’s alright baby,” Tony coos, “This is grown-up work.” The six-year-old shrugs and turns back to his coloring book while Tony turns back to his personal assistant.

“Anyway, it’s nothing. It’s just a little snag. There’s an exposed wire under this device.” Tony twists and pulls out the current arc reactor in his chest and hands it to Pepper. “And it’s contacting the socket wall and causing a little bit of a short.”

“What do you want me to do?” Pepper asks looking startled with the old arc reactor still in hand.

“Put that over there. That is irrelevant.”

“Oh my god,” Pepper mutters under her breath as she places the device aside.

“I want you to reach in, and you’re gonna gently lift the wire out.”

“Is it safe?”

“Yeah, it should be fine. It’s like Operation,” Tony says nonchalantly, “You just don’t let it touch the socket wall or it goes beep.”

“What do you mean, ‘Operation’?” Pepper asks incredulously.

“It’s just a game, never mind. Just gently lift the wire. Okay?”

“Okay.” Pepper starts to reach into Tony’s chest cavity before immediately pulling back. “You know, I don’t think I’m qualified to do this.”

“No you’re fine,” the inventor soothes, “You’re the most capable, qualified, trustworthy person I’ve ever met. I trust you with my kids’ lives, of course, I trust you with mine. You’re gonna do great.”

“Okay, okay.” Pepper reaches into the chest cavity once again. It’s a very odd sensation for Tony to feel someone’s hand in his chest.

“Oh, there’s pus!” Pepper exclaims.

Tony rolls his eyes. “It’s not pus. It’s an inorganic plasmic discharge from the device, not from my body.”

“It smells,” the redhead grimaces.

“Yeah it does,” Tony agrees. “The copper wire. The copper wire, you got it?”

“Okay, I got it! I got it!”

“Now, don’t let it touch the,” Tony felt the spark of electricity running through him before he could finish, “sides when you’re coming out.”

Both Harley and Peter look up from what they’re doing. “Are you okay, Momma?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Pepper cries out as she starts to pull the wire out.

“I’m okay sweetie. It’s nothing serious,” Tony says, trying to sound placating before focusing on Pepper again.

“Okay, now make sure that when you pull it out you don’t pull out the magnet at the end of it.” But Tony is a bit too late in his warning. “That was it. You just pulled it out!”

“Oh god! What do I do?”

“Don’t put it back in! Don’t put it back in!” Peter and Harley look up in alarm again.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” the Omega shrugs, “I’m just going into cardiac arrest ‘cause you yanked it out like a trout.”

“What? You said this was safe!” Pepper exclaims. The two children start to whimper, scared of the unknown of what was going on with their mother.

“We gotta hurry. Take this.” Tony hands the new arc reactor to the redhead. “You gotta switch it out quickly.”

“Okay. Okay. Tony? It’s going to be okay. Peter? Harley? It’s going to be okay. Auntie Pepper is going to make this okay.” Pepper reaches into Tony’s chest cavity once again, this time with the new arc reactor.

“Okay, you’re going to attach that to the base plate. Make sure you…” Tony trailed off as the arc reactor clicked into place and a jolt ran through his body.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I feel great.” A chuckle slips out of Tony, and then two, and then Tony is thrown into full-blown laughter.

“Don’t ever, ever, ever, ever ask me to do anything like that ever again.”

Tony starts to pull the wires off his torso. “Well, I can’t exactly ask Rhodey or Happy with their big man hands. It’s either you or Zeke, really, and I don’t think this is something either of us wants to subject on that kid right now.”

Pepper nodded in reluctant agreement. “Will that be all, From Stane?”

“That will be all, Miss Potts.” The PA turns and walks out of the workshop, though Tony didn’t notice the little device she had in hand as she did.

Abruptly remembering his children, Tony turns to the play area. Peter and Harley look at Tony with unshed tears in their eyes, waiting for their mother to give them the okay to enter the general workshop space.

“Come here,” Tony says as he waves the two young boys over. The young Omega and Alpha don’t waste a second as they dash towards their mother’s open arms.

“Momma, we were so scared,” Harley sobs.

“Is it gonna be like that every time you change the light thingy?” Peter asks softly.

“It’s an arc reactor kiddo, and no of course not,” the Omega soothes, “It was just the first time we ever did it. With more and more practice, it’ll be easier and quicker, I promise.”

It took a few minutes before the two young Stark kids calmed down, but when they did, Tony decided to abandon all his current work and join them in the play area. He would put everything on hold for his children.

Later that day, Rhodey comes down to the workshop to see his best friend playing action figures with his four sons. “Hey kiddos,” Rhodey says as he bends down towards the group, “I need to talk to your mom for a quick minute.”

Tony looks up to his best friend and nods. Then he directs his gaze to his eldest son. “Watch the little ones for me, Zeke. We will just be over there.”

After the two move out of earshot from the children, Rhodey jumps directly into it. “You said they had your weapons. Explain.”

Tony shrugs. “They had SI weapons, what else is there to say?”

Rhodey shakes his head in exasperation. “Tony.”

“Alright, alright,” Tony relents, “The truth is I don’t have a fucking clue. Or at least I didn’t until those bastards had me. I don’t know how they got them, but they had a lot of them. I already hated making weapons Rhodey, you know that, but knowing that literal terrorists have them makes that even worse. I need to find out how the Ten Rings got their hands on Stark weaponry. After that, I’m going to figure out a way to get Stark Industries out of the weapons industry entirely.”

Tony waits for Rhodey’s response with bated breath. Rhodey is his brother, but he is also an airman, a part of the United States military.

Of course, Tony has no reason to doubt. “I’m with you no matter what, Tony. Just let me know if there is anything you need from me,” Rhodey says, a fire lit in his eyes.

“Of course, I know that. I’ll keep you updated. Pepper and I have started to look into it.” Tony pats the older man’s shoulder. “Since you’re here, you might as well spend some time with your godsons.”

Rhodey lets the younger Omega lead him back to the kids’ area where Zeke was entertaining his baby brothers with action figures. Tony watches as Rhodey grabs a superhero action figure and starts play-fighting with Harley while making explosion noises, and he thanks whatever entity out there for being able to come back to his family.

Tony knows he probably should just investigate the black market weaponry and then pass the information along to the proper authorities, but he couldn’t do that. Not only is this a problem that Tony has to fix himself as the cause of it, there is no intelligence agency he trusted with this. That’s why he started the project Mark Two.

“Up,” the Omega told Dum-E, and of course the bot took that all too far and went all the way down to the bottom of the mechanized boot they were working on.

“Not in the boot, Dum-E. Right here, you got me?” Tony points where the bot should be focusing his attention. “Stay put. Nice.”

Dum-E does not stay put. “You are no benefit at all. You are a tragedy.”

Tony can hear giggling coming from the other side of the workshop. It’s Peter. Though it has been three weeks since he came back, the young ones like to spend as much time in the workshop as possible. The only reason the others weren’t here was because Zeke was back in school and the youngest two were down for a nap.

“Can I help, Momma?” Peter asks earnestly.

“No, baby. You’ve got to be a little older to handle this stuff. I didn’t let Zeke help me until he was twelve, and even then not with a lot of stuff.” Tony’s heart started racing when the boy had suggested it. The other day Tony had tested a flight stabilizer and there was far too much power in it. This stuff was dangerous.

Looking into Peter’s shining eyes, wide with curiosity, Tony knows that he needs to start restricting access to the kids. He needs to keep them safe, but he can’t stop working on this. He hopes they will understand.

Tony is very surprised to hear that his Alpha was home later that day. Obie probably wants to tell him about the board meeting. The Alpha is playing the piano when Tony has gotten to the living room, and Pepper is on the couch. “How did it go?” The Omega asked. There is a box of New York-style pizza on the table. “It went that bad, huh?”

“Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn’t mean it went bad.”

Tony plops down onto the couch and grabs a slice of pizza. “Sure it doesn’t.”

Obie stops playing the piano and starts walking toward Tony and the couch. He pulls the Omega onto his lap and kisses Tony’s bonding gland possessively. Obie was probably doing it for Pepper’s benefit, as the Alpha is usually more touchy around other people. Tony just went on“The board is claiming you have post-traumatic stress. They’re filing an injunction. They want to lock you out.”

“Lock me out?” Tony asks confused, “You’re my Alpha. You have control over everything right now. I just build.”

“They want to keep you from doing that too.”

“What? That’s bullshit!”

“I know, baby. But you’ve pushed deadlines for everything you had been working on before, and we already had a three-month stasis with you gone.”

“I wasn’t on vacation,” Tony exclaims, “I was kidnapped! It’s only been three weeks!”

“You know how the board is. I could just barely stop them from appointing a new head of R&D with you gone.” Obie taps on the metal of Tony’s arc reactor. “Let me have the engineers analyze this. You know, draw up some specs.”

“No, absolutely not,” Tony snaps. Tony can feel Obie stiffen up in anger, and the only reason he hadn’t lashed out yet was Pepper’s presence. “I mean, this is rudimentary. It’s got a lot of flaws and needs to be workshopped before it can be mass-produced. I have some plans for it, that’s why I’ve pushed everything else off, because I want to put my whole attention to it. It’s going to be great, I promise.”

Obie relaxes. “You wanna tell me anything about it, sweetheart?”

“As soon as I have something more concrete, you will be the first person to know, I swear it.”

“Okay, fine,” the Alpha concedes, “But I need something to give these guys, Tony. Give me a bone to throw them.”

Tony thinks for a moment. “I can get you that body armor I was working on before by the end of next week.” It was a military project so it would appeal to the board, but it was non-combative so that Tony wouldn’t have to make weapons again.

“Alright,” Obie sighs. He shifts the Omega off of his lap and moves to get off the couch. “I should head out now. I’ve got more fires to extinguish back in Manhattan.”

Tony catches his hand before the Alpha could get up. “Wait, there’s something I need to tell you.” Obie turns to look at him. “I’m pregnant.”

Pepper looks up at Tony in surprise. This is probably not the best way for her to find out, but Tony needed to tell Obie now rather later.

Obie looks at him in shock as well. “What? It’s only been three weeks. I didn’t know we could know that quickly.”

 _It’s four weeks actually,_ Tony can’t help but think. “Yeah, but they can test as early as a week. I went in for a regular checkup and I found out. I was surprised too,” Tony says, lying through his teeth.

Obie’s face breaks out into a grin. Tony can’t tell if it’s false or not. “This is great news, babe. Maybe you’ll give me another Alpha son yet.” Tony was not expecting the Alpha to kiss him soundly. When Obie finally pulls away, he continues, “I know you just gave me amazing news and I wish we could celebrate alone together, but I really do have to go back tonight.”

Good riddance. Tony nods, hoping to seem solemn. Tony pecks the Alpha goodbye and waits for him to be out the door before he turned to Pepper.

Pepper starts blurting out rapid-fire questions. “You’re pregnant? When did you have sex with Obie? You came home three weeks ago, and I know he didn’t come home with you. Oh my god, did you have sex with him on the car ride here?”

“Pep, it’s not what you think,” Tony starts, “I’m actually four weeks pregnant.” Pepper’s face shifts into a look of horror before Tony jumps to explain himself. “It’s not what you think now either. I told Rhodey this when we found out at the hospital in Turkey. I went into Heat in Afghanistan. There was another captive, an Alpha, who helped me through it. His name was Yahya, and he died when we were trying to escape. I slept with Obie as soon as I got here so that for nine months he’ll at least have no clue, but I don’t know what I’ll do when this baby is born.”

“Oh Tony.” Pepper reaches out to hug the Omega. “We’ll figure it out.” As he holds on to one of his best friends, Tony sincerely hopes that that is true.

He has finally done it. Tony has finally completed Mark Two. JARVIS has done all the tests that he needed to after the armor molded onto Tony’s body when Tony indicates that he wants to let it out for a test run.

The AI starts to protest. “Sir, there are still terabytes of calculations needed before an actual flight is—”

“JARVIS,” Tony interrupts, “Sometimes you got to run before you can walk. Ready? In three, two, one”

The repulsors in the boots come to life. Tony has a wobbly start, but he soon gets the hang of it as he maneuvers his way out of the workshop and the garage. It’s absolutely exhilarating. Tony can’t help but let out a few whoops as if he was on a rollercoaster. A little boy on a Ferris wheel might’ve seen Tony, but that’s not the point. This was amazing; there was really nothing like it. And then of course Tony starts to get a little cocky.

“Alright, let’s see what this thing can do. What’s SR-71’s record?”

“That altitude record for fixed-wing flight is 85,000 feet, sir.”

“Records are made to be broken! Come on!” Tony starts zipping upwards.

“Sire, there is a potentially fatal buildup of ice occurring.”

“Keep going! Higher!” Then the boots lose power and the rest of the suit follows, leaving Tony to descend to the ground screaming. “We iced up, JARVIS! Deploy flaps!”

JARVIS doesn’t answer.

“JARVIS! Come on we got to break the ice!” Tony reaches down and is able to deploy the flaps and break the ice manually. The power comes back on in the suit, and Tony is able to gain control again. He flies home, probably coming a lot closer to the highways and oncoming traffic than he should’ve.

Tony finally reaches home without another hitch. He hovers over the driveway as he says, “Kill power.” The landing was not nearly as smooth as he had hoped it would be. He crashed through two floors, obliterating his piano and one of his favorite sports cars. Tony didn’t know what he thought would happen with nearly two tons of gold-titanium alloy, but that wasn’t what he was thinking of in the moments after the crash. He could only think about his baby, immediately wrapping an arm around his metal-clad abdomen.

He calls his primary obstetrician immediately, who graciously makes a house visit at 7:00pm on a Thursday evening.

“I had an accident in the lab,” Tony lies, “It blasted me into the wall.”

Dr. Begum wraps the stethoscope around her neck as she finishes checking the Omega up. “Everything looks fine. You and the baby are both in good condition. But maybe stay away from things that will blow you for the next nine months.”

Tony grimaces. He doesn’t really have a choice.

Tony sees the doctor out and comes back to all his children and Pepper, who he had called to watch the kids while he was with the doctor, in the living room. He watches Pepper eye the gaping hole where the piano once stood as she walks toward him. He needs to barricade and baby-proof that ASAP.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be testing things out yourself in your condition,” the Beta says wryly.

Tony shrugs nonchalantly. “It was a freak accident. It won’t happen again.”

Pepper is obviously unconvinced. “Sure. I have something for you, by the way.” The redhead hands him a wrapped box it seems. When he rips open the wrapping, he pulls out a glass box that holds the old arc reactor. The metal casing is engraved, “PROOF THAT TONY STARK HAS A HEART.”

Tony chuckles and shakes his head. “Nah, the proof is there.” He points to his kids where it seems that Zeke is reenacting some sort of story for the younger ones.

Pepper smiles. “Yeah, you’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello y'all. I'm sorry it's been 6 months. 
> 
> At first, it was writer's block and being overwhelmed with the world and then I was busy with school. I just got out of school, so I finally finished the fourth chapter. I'm hoping to do a weekly schedule for the next five to six weeks before school starts like I did before, and then when I have school again, every two to three weeks. I'll try really hard not to go on a 6-month hiatus again. Enjoy the longest chapter I've written yet. 
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr as [i-put-the-bi-in-hijabi](https://i-put-the-bi-in-hijabi.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated! Let me know what your favorite part is in the comments!


	5. He Was Turned to Steel (For the Future of Mankind)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Firefighters Gala and its aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW/TW - attempted murder and murder/death

JARVIS is running, fabricating, and painting Mark II, which will take the rest of the night. Tony takes the time to spend some time with his babies.

It is a Friday evening, so Nanny Clara is gone, seeing as with Tony back, she had weekends off again, though with school out she has much more work during the weekdays. Zeke is also home indefinitely.

Tony decides to make some of the boys’ favorites for dinner as a treat. He feels a bit guilty about locking them out of the workshop the last two months. He’s had to spend as much time as possible there when Obie isn’t around to get any work done on Mark II. And while he’s made sure to spend plenty of time with them outside of his work on the project, the Omega needs to make sure that they don’t feel neglected. So he starts a baked chicken Alfredo pasta for Zeke, dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets for Peter and Harley, oven-baked chicken that he would cut up into small pieces for Jamie, and roasted vegetables that he would make sure they all ate.

When Tony finishes, he tells JARVIS to call the boys down for dinner and tell Zeke to bring Jamie. He sets ups the dining table as they all rush in. “No running,” the Omega admonishes.

Slower, Peter and Harley get into their chairs as Zeke gently places the youngest of them in his high chair before taking a seat himself. Tony takes the time to place a kiss on top of each of their heads before sitting down himself, each boy beaming from the attention from their mother.

They each serve themselves (except Jamie of course) and sit down to eat. Tony makes sure they eat a healthy serving of their vegetables, no matter how much Peter or Harley grumbled. Tony asks each of them about their day as he feeds Jamie bits of chicken. Zeke starts complaining about his summer program, how he has a group project where one of his partners is not picking up their own slack. Peter animatedly talks about how his LEGO building project is going. Harley proudly announces that he finally learned how to tie his own shoelaces and bends down to demonstrate for his mother. Every day since he’s come home, Tony has been utterly grateful for his boys, unable to imagine a life without them.

Then, Zeke turns his attention to the small flat screen television they had in the dining room that currently served as background noise. “Mom, shouldn’t you be at that?” The teenage Beta asks.

Tony turns his attention to the screen. “Tonight’s red-hot red carpet is right here at the Disney Concert Hall, where the Stanes’ third annual benefit for the Firefighter’s Family Fund has become the place to be for L.A.’s high society,” the TV announcer says.

“JARVIS, we get an invitation for that?” The Omega inquires.

“I have no record of an invitation, sir.”

“Tony Stane hasn’t been seen in public since his brief press conference right after coming back stateside. Some claim he’s suffering from post-traumatic stress and has been bedridden for weeks,” the announcer continues, “Whatever the case may be, no one expects an appearance from him tonight.”

“Zeke, call your Uncle Happy. I need to head out.”

The adolescent crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m fourteen. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Yes, of course, you’re old enough to take care of yourself,” Tony sighs, “but you’re not yet old enough to handle two little kids and a baby for several hours. Call Uncle Happy.”

Zeke grumbles but does as he’s told. Tony rushes off to get semi-appropriately dressed for a gala.

When Tony comes back to the dining room to see off his kids, they’ve all finished their dinner and Zeke has started clearing the table.

“Momma, do you have to go?” Harley whines.

Tony crouches down as best as he could in his tuxedo and ruffles the young Alpha’s hair. “Yeah, I do, bub. This is a really important event, and it’s really weird that your Dad didn’t tell me about it, let alone bring me with him.”

Harley pouts but doesn’t complain further. Tony hugs each of his children goodbye and smothers Jamie’s face with kisses, the only one of the four that still allows that kind of treatment.

Once he’s out the door, he’s speeding, to the car, in the car, and getting out of the car. He hands the valet his keys as he tries to get in and to Obie as quickly as possible. He throws quips at a handful of people that try to talk to him as he walks in. Then he spots Obie, who is chatting up someone Tony recognizes as someone Stark Industries is trying to snag as a possible investor.

“Hey honey, sorry I’m late,” Tony says as he approaches Obie, leaning up to peck the Alpha on the lips. There was no way Obie could get mad and make a scene now; Tony has made his appearance intentional now. “You know how Zeke is on the weekends.”

“Of course, no problem,” Obie says, carrying on the facade. He turns to the possible-investor whose name Tony still can’t place. “Give me and my Omega a moment, please.”

As the man walks off a couple of feet away, the Alpha hisses, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m wondering why my husband didn’t bring me here. I thought we were trying to get the board to see that I’m not suffering from post-traumatic stress and that I can handle being head of R&D still. How are we supposed to do that if I’m not at the most important charitable Stark Industries event of the year?”

Obie looks like he is about to say something before he sighs. “You’re right, I’m sorry. Listen, I think I got the board right where I want them, so take it slow, alright?”

Tony nods. “I’ll schmooze around for a bit. I’ll see you inside. We’ll get some couple photos for People or TMZ or something.”

Tony enters the party and immediately zips to the bar. “Hi, can I get the best mocktail this place has to offer? I am starving.”

The bartender walks off to get his order ready when Tony hears a voice calling his attention next to him. “Dr. Stane”

Tony raises his eyebrows. “From Stane, actually. Societally, my marital status as an Omega overrides my doctorate degrees.”

“Not in all circles,” the man says sincerely, “Agent Coulson.”

“Oh yeah, yeah, the guy from the…” Tony struggles to remember the name of the agency as he grabs his drink.

“Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division,” the Beta supplies.

“God, you need a new name for that.”

“Yeah, I hear that a lot. Listen, I know this must be a trying time for you, but we need to debrief you. There’s still a lot of unanswered questions, and time can be a factor with these things. Let’s just put something on the books. How about the 21st at 7:00pm at Stark Industries?”

Tony spies Pepper across the room, and figures that he has found an out. “Tell you what. You got it. You’re absolutely right. I”m just going to go to my assistant over there and we’ll make a date.”

“You look fantastic! I almost didn’t recognize you,” Tony tells Pepper as he approaches her.

“Tony you made it,” the redhead exclaims, “When you didn’t come in with Obie, I thought you weren’t coming.”

“Well, you should’ve reminded me as my assistant.”

“I did, several times,” the Beta says drily.

“Is that the dress?” Tony asks, switching the topic.

“Yes, this is your birthday present to me.”

“Yes, well, I have great taste. We should go dance.”

“Let’s.” Tony grabs Pepper’s hand and leads her to and on the dance floor, which got them some looks seeing as they were going against conventional dynamic standards with an Omega leading a Beta.

“We’re almost sordid gossip,” Pepper giggles into Tony’s ear, “The billionaire dancing intimately with his PA.”

“You’re a Beta woman and I’m an Omega, no one would ever jump to that conclusion, but I could fire you if that would take the edge off.”

Pepper chuckles, “I actually don’t think that you could tie your shoes without me.”

“Lies,” Tony gasps in mock-indignation, “I tie Harley’s and Peter’s shoes all the time. I think I’d make it a week.”

“Really? What’s your Social Security number?”

“I could tell you Zeke’s, Pete’s, Harley’s, or Jamie’s,” the Omega says proudly.

“I asked about yours,” Pepper smirks.

“I have you for that.”

Pepper smiles sincerely. “Of course you do. I’m in your corner, Tony.”

Tony clears his throat, not expecting the emotional turn the conversation has taken. “I’m bored of dancing. I need something to drink. Want something from the bar?”

“A vodka martini, you know how I like it. And I shouldn’t have to remind you to keep your condition in mind.”

“One vodka martini, extra dry, extra olives, extra fast and one of those mocktails I had earlier, it was really good.”

Tony makes his way to the bar and makes his order. As he waits, he spots Christine Everhart and immediately spins around, hoping the woman had not spotted him.

Of course, he wasn’t that lucky. “Wow. Tony Stane.”

“Oh, hey. Fancy seeing you here Carrie.” Tony tries to smile, but is sure it looks like a grimace.

“Christine.”

“Well, I don’t remember all of my husband’s fuck buddies. There’s just too many of them.”

Christine squints her eyes. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here tonight.”

“You have a lot of nerve coming up to me tonight,” Tony days without missing a beat.

“Can I at least get a reaction from you?”

“I don’t make it a habit to let Obie’s conquests bother me.”

“I was referring to your company’s involvement in this latest atrocity,” the Beta says matter-of-factly.

Tony shrugs. “Yeah. They just put my name on the invitation. I don’t know what to tell you.”

“You’ve really earned you title, haven’t you Merchant of Death? I just thought you had some morals, some limits.” Christine hands Tony a pile of photographs. “It’s a town called Gulmira. Heard of it?”

Tony’s heart aches for the loss of the sire of his unborn child at the mention of the Alpha's hometown. He flips through the pictures. “When were these taken?”

“Yesterday.”

“I didn’t know about any shipment,” the Omega says forcefully.

“Well, your company approved it,” the Beta shoots back with just as much force.

“Well, I’m not my company.” Tony stomps out to go find his Alpha, not looking back to see if Christine was following him.

He finds Obie by the press taking pictures and sidle up next to him. “Have you seen these pictures? What’s going on in Gulmira?”

Obie only chuckles, “Tony, my dear, you can’t afford to be this naive.”

“You know what? I was naive before, when they said, ‘Here’s the line. We don’t cross it.’”

Obie stays unaffected. “This is how we do business.”

“If we’re double-dealing under the table…Are we?”

Obie continues smiling. “Let’s take a picture. I think People is here.” The Alpha drops his voice lower so that only Tony could hear and continues, “Who do you think locked you out? I was the one who filed the injunction against you. It was the only way I could protect you.” Then, he stalked off and left the gala in a car waiting for him at the end of the red carpet, without Tony.

The way the Alpha said “protect” made Tony’s skin crawl. With the scene he’s caused here, Tony can only pray that his husband doesn’t go back to the mansion.

Obie is not home when Tony finally comes home from the gala, thankfully. Happy leaves once he’s seen that Tony has come back from the gala, waving Tony off as he apologizes again for asking the Alpha for last-minute babysitting. Tony checks to make sure all four of his kids have gone to sleep and is surprised to find Zeke still awake at 2:00am. 

“Baby, it’s 2:00am, you need to get to bed,” Tony needles his eldest.

“There’s just one thing left,” Zeke drags on the last word as he types furiously. “And now I’m done.”

“Go to sleep. I should be proud of how well I’ve trained you not to keep weekend work to Sunday, but it is only Friday and it’s summer, bub.”

“There’s a lot of work for this program, Mom. I really love it, but I just want to be on top of it.” He pauses. “Remember that first night you tucked me and read me _A Bad Case of Stripes_?”

Tony smiles. “Like it was yesterday. One of the best days of my life, tied for first with the births of all your brothers.”

Zeke smiles shyly. “Yeah, just…I know Dad treats you like shit. But I’m glad you’re my mom, even though that ties you to him.”

Tony looks at Zeke. Of Tony’s kids, Zeke looks the most like Obie. Peter is Tony’s carbon copy, while Harley is an even mix of him and his husband. Jamie’s looks lean more towards Obie, but he has Tony’s eyes and smile, which is apparent even at two and a half years old. Zeke looks the most like Obie because his other features were unfamiliar. He has Obie’s piercing blue eyes (like Harley) and the sandy blond hair the Alpha had two decades ago (like Jamie), but there is a lot of his biological mother in him. From pictures, Tony can tell that Zeke has her smile, her lips, and the shape of her eyes. But in the end, all Tony can see is the face of his son, not Obie, not some random woman he met twice in his youth, just Zeke.

“All the good in my life infinitely outweighs the bad. I have no regrets.” Tony gives the teenager a kiss on the forehead and leaves him to his nightly routine.

Technically, Tony lied to Zeke. He regrets being complacent the last decade of his life, leaving Obie to be able to sell his weapons on the black market. He may not have much say as an Omega, but Tony can’t help but believe that there’s something he could’ve done. Then maybe Gulmira could’ve been spared.

Tony goes down to the workshop, needing to continue working on his project. He has JARVIS turn on the news as he fits a metal gauntlet onto his hand, taking a screwdriver to its wiring as he focuses his attention on the screen.

“The 15-mile hike to the outskirts of Gulmira can only be described as a descent into hell, into a modern-day Heart of Darkness. Simple farmers and herders from peaceful villages have been driven from their homes, displaced from their lands by warlords emboldened by a new-found power. Villagers have been forced to take shelter in whatever crude dwellings they can find in the ruins of other villages, or here in the remnants of an old Soviet smelting plant.”

Tony remembers Yahya telling him about Gulmira, how it was once a lively place before the Ten Rings sunk their claws into it a couple of years ago.

“Recent violence has been attributed to a group of foreign fighters referred to by locals as the Ten Rings. As you can see, these men are heavily armed and on a mission. A mission that could prove fatal to anyone who stands in their way. With no political will or international pressure, there's very little hope for these refugees. Around me, a woman begging for news on her husband, who was kidnapped by insurgents, either forced to join their militia…”

Tony thinks about his unborn child. These are his unborn child’s people. They could have family here. This town is a part of their roots, and the Ten Rings are completely tearing it apart.

Incensed, Tony gets up and aims his gauntlet. A repulsor blast of greater strength than he anticipated shoots out. He aims, again and again, taking out glass panels as he gets the hang of it.

“A child's simple question, ‘Where are my mother and father?’ There's very little hope for these refugees, refugees who can only wonder who, if anyone, will help.”

Tony has decided. He’s going there, and getting rid of all of them, the weapons and the Ten Rings.

The assembly bots come together to mold the suit onto his form. For the first time, Tony suits up in the entirely completed Mark II suit.

When he swoops into Gulmira, one of the members of the Ten Rings immediately starts firing on him, but the bullets barely scratch his titanium-gold exterior. He sends the guy a repulsor blast. He turns every which way to blast the Ten Rings members shooting at him into unconsciousness.

When a handful of them move their targets from him to the hostages, Tony is forced to lower his gauntlets. Instead, he targets the 4 criminals and shoots them individually so as not to harm the civilians. One of the hostages, a little boy, runs over to his father as he calls out for him. Tony pays no mind to the touching display. Instead, he goes over to where the Ten Rings commander, the one who was once in charge of keeping him hostage, is hiding and pulls him through a wall and out into the open.

“He’s all yours,” Tony says as he throws the Alpha by the feet of the villagers that were once oppressed by him, his voice coming out a bit tinny through the suit’s speakers. 

He then flies overhead he starts to target the cache of weapons this faction of the Ten Rings held. Unexpectedly, he is quite literally blown out of the sky. He crashes to the ground, but it is not enough to stop him. He blows up the tank that tries to shoot at him before heading towards the sky once again. Then he targets the Jericho missiles and the blast destroys everything. Tony’s work is done here.

He starts flying back when he gets a call from Rhodey.

“Hello?” Tony greets, trying to sound nonchalant.

“It’s Rhodes,” Rhodey says from the other side of the line.

“Rhodes, are you kidding me? Since when do you introduce yourself like that to me?”

“From the time that I have to introduce myself when I’m calling you. What in the hell is that noise?”

“Oh yeah, I’m driving with the top down.”

“You never drive with the top down with the kids. You’re telling me you left your kids alone on a Saturday morning.”

“Zeke and JARVIS can handle the little ones for thirty minutes, Rhodey,” the Omega drawls, “I’m just grabbing ingredients for surprise blueberry pancakes.”

“Yeah, well, I need your help right now.”

“Hit me, platypus. I am at your service.”

“Yeah, well, we’ve got a weapons depot that was just blown up a few clicks from where you were being held captive.”

“Well, that’s a hot spot. Sounds like someone stepped in and did your job for you, huh?”

“Why do you sound out of breath, Tony?” The Beta questions with suspicion.

“Maybe I’m just a heavy breather, Rhodey, did you think of that?” Tony snipes.

“Sure, Tony. You sure you don’t have any tech in that area I should know about?”

“Nope!”

“Okay, good, ‘cause I’m staring at something right now and it’s about to be blown to kingdom come.” With that, the phone call ends.

Knowing that Air Force jets are coming his way, Tony accelerates his speed, but that doesn’t stop a missile from coming his way. He sends flares in response, and the explosion causes him to lose control of flight for a moment. He regains control just as the jets started shooting at him. With the damage he sustained from the Ten Rings, the suit will not be able to hold against this attack, especially as these were not normal bullets being shot at him. So Tony deploys the flaps to fly backward out of visual range and latches onto the underside of one of the jets. Then he calls Rhodey back.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Rhodey, it’s me.”

“It’s who?” Rhodey asks with mock-incomprehension.

“I’m sorry, it is me. You asked. What you were asking about is me.”

“No, see, this isn’t a game,” Rhodey starts to lecture Tony, “You do not send civilian equipment into my active war zone. You understand that?”

“This is not a piece of equipment. I’m in it. It’s a suit. It’s me!” Tony exclaims. 

Rhodey isn’t able to respond before Tony is spotted. The jet he is on tries to shake him off, and in trying to get back into flight, Tony smacks into and breaks off a huge chunk of the jet. The pilot is ejected, but there is no chute. Tony can’t let that person fall to his death, not when it’s his fault. So he follows them in their descent and hopes that he can catch up before they hit the ground. The Omega can hear Rhodey unsuccessfully try to call off the target on his back. Tony is able to reach the pilot in the nick of time and manually forces the parachute out. He can hear cheering on Rhodey’s end of the line.

Rhodey himself finally responds. “Tony, you still there?”

“Hey, thanks.”

“Oh my God, you crazy son of a bitch. You’re pregnant, what were you thinking? Did you really leave the kids alone? Also, you owe me a plane. You know that, right?”

“I’m fine, honey bear. I sent Pepper a voicemail and had JARVIS call her as soon as Zeke woke up. And technically, he hit me. Now, are you going to come by and see what I’m working on?”

“No, no, no, no, no, the less I know, the better. What am I supposed to tell the press?” Rhodey says exasperated.

“Training exercise. Isn’t that the usual BS?”

“It’s not that simple,” Rhodey sighs, but he does not continue to argue. “I know you think this was something you had to do, but I need you to take care of yourself, Tony. You’ve got four beautiful children that need you and one more on the way.”

“I _did_ need to do this, Rhodey. But I swear I’m trying to stay as safe as possible for my family. I love you, Rhodey.”

“Love you too, man. Take care, I mean it” With that, the call ends again. Tony had wanted to tell Thodey about Obie dealing under the table, but he needed a plan first. Hopefully, he had time for that later, right now he needed to get home to his kids.

Tony had not anticipated that taking off the armor would be such a difficult task. The assembly bots are all pushing and pulling at all different pieces of metal as JARVIS instructed them.

“Ah watch it,” Tony admonishes as a bot pulls just a little bit too hard.

“It is a tight fit, sir,” the AI quips.

“Are you commenting on the weight of a pregnant person? Now that is just rude JARVIS. I raised you better than that.”

“Of course, sir,” JARVIS remarks dryly, “however, the more you struggle, the more this is going to hurt.”

“Be gentle. This is my first time. I designed this to come off so…I really should be all to…”

“Please, try not to move, sir,” JARVIS seems to say in exasperation.

“What is going on here?” Tony turns to the voice in question. It’s Pepper, who he had not even noticed had come in.

“Let’s face it. This is not the worst thing you’ve caught me doing,” the Omega says, trying to ease the tension.

“Are those bullet holes,” Pepper says, her voice going up an octave, “Tony, what the fuck?”

“I swear I will tell you all about it. Let me just get this off.”

Pepper waits patiently with her arms crossed over her chest. Tony sets to rushing the bots in their process, no longer complaining if they happen to tug too hard.

Finally the suit came off and Tony turned to Pepper. “Let’s walk and talk. I want to see the boys.”

As they slowly walk up the stairs, Tony tells Pepper some of what happened. “You saw what happened in Gulmira, right?” Pepper nods. “Well, they had SI weapons and I couldn’t let that stay. Gulmira was Yahya’s hometown. His family could’ve been there, my baby’s family could be there. I had to do it.”

“And what about your baby themself?”

“I was covered in two tons of titanium-gold alloy. And after the first crash, I updated JARVIS to be able to scan me for the baby’s heartbeat or any sign of miscarriage. I was and am fine and so is baby. I wouldn’t do anything to put them in harm’s way.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed, Tony. I can’t watch you do this.” 

“You know that I never wanted to make weapons, but I did it anyway. You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction. Now, I’m trying to protect the people that I put in harm’s way. I know in my heart that this is right.”

Pepper sighs and concedes. “Okay, okay. Just try to keep these missions few and far between while you’re pregnant.”

“In two months, I won’t even be able to fit into it.”

When the duo arrives in the living room, Harley and Peter are mindlessly watching cartoons as Zeke sits to the side glaring at his laptop as he absentmindedly pushes a sleeping Jamie in a rocking cradle. Tony decides to take advantage of the fact that his kids are distracted and sneaks up behind them. He grabs Peter and Harley and kisses them all over their faces as the two of them shriek in laughter and try to wiggle out of his grasp. Zeke looks up from the computer to laugh at his brothers. Even Pepper breaks out a smile. Finally, the Omega lets them go with one last kiss to their temples.

“Alright, I’ll leave you to your cartoons. I need to talk to your Aunt Pepper for a minute anyway.”

Tony takes Pepper to the side and hands her a drive. “I need you to go to my office, on Monday. Not today, Obie will be expecting it, and there will be no one else around during the weekend, so go on Monday. You’re going to hack into the mainframe and you’re going to retrieve all the recent shipping manifests. This is a lock chip. This’ll get you in. It’s probably under Executive Files. If not, they put it on a ghost drive, in which case you need to look for the lowest numeric heading. This’ll give me information on them dealing under the table.”

Pepper nods. “I’ve got your back, Tony. Take care.”

As Pepper leaves, Tony is left with his children, hoping that Pepper gets him the information before Obie gets back from wherever he is.

Of course, nothing goes Tony’s way. On Monday evening, Tony goes to take a call from Pepper when he is literally paralyzed. The phone is ripped out of his grasp as he hears Pepper call out for him from the other side of the line.

“Breathe, easy, easy,” Tony hears as he is gently rested against the couch. It’s Obie.

Immediately, Tony is grateful for the fact that Zeke has been kept late for his program and that Harley and Peter are both at sleepovers. Jamie is sleeping soundly upstairs in his room.

“You remember this one, right? It’s a shame the government didn’t approve it. There's so many applications for causing short-term paralysis.” Obie comes into Tony’s line of vision as he attaches a device to the arc reactor. “When I ordered the hit on you, I worried that I was killing the golden goose. But, you see, it was just fate that you survived that. You had one last golden egg to give.”

In one swift go, the Alpha rips out the arc reactor. Tony can immediately feel the loss. “I did love you, you know? You were a good Omega, one that I always deserved. You listened to everything I said and did everything I told you, even if sometimes you just needed a little encouragement. You were a good mother. Sure, you gave me a handful of defectives, but you got it right once. You gave me an Alpha son. Oh, and you were a good fuck. I loved having you under me, vulnerable. You’re so pretty when you’re all laid down and adorned in the bruises I’ve put onto your skin. I think I’ll miss that the most.”

“I really regret having to do this. If it weren’t for that new law that’s about to be passed in California that would give you control of all your assets, including the company, then I wouldn’t. It’s already in place in New York too. I wish you could’ve given me another Alpha or two before I had to do this. There’s nothing that can be done for that now.”

Obie puts the arc reactor in a briefcase. “Oh, it’s beautiful. What a masterpiece. This is your Ninth Symphony, Tony, your legacy. A new generation of weapons with this at its heart. Weapons that will help steer the world back on course, put the balance of power in our hands. The right hands. I wish you could’ve seen my prototype. It’s not as…conservative as yours. Too bad you had to involve Pepper in this. I would have preferred she lived.”

With that, Obie walks away, leaving his Omega paralyzed and on the brink of cardiac arrest. Tony can feel the life slowly drain out of him. He can’t believe this is how it ends after everything. He’s not all that surprised he’s to die at the hands of his Alpha. He thinks of all the years he’s going to miss. He’s not going to see Zeke graduate high school and college. He’s not going to see Harley and Peter grow up. He’s not even going to get to see Jamie turn three. And his baby. His baby is never going to get the chance to live, doomed because they're still growing inside of him.

_No_ , Tony is not going to give up.

Slowly, bit by bit, the paralysis is wearing off. So with much exertion, Tony throws himself off the couch and drags himself over to the elevator to take him down to the workshop. The paralysis is completely gone once he reaches the workshop. He eyes the arc reactor that Pepper had encased in glass and tries to make his way over. He immediately falls over, too weak to even walk, but Tony does not give up. He army crawls his way over to the table and tries to grab the glass box but he can’t get a hold of it. Black dots dance in his vision as he is unable to hold up his weight and slumps over, the arc reactor out of reach.

This is it. He has tried so hard to cling to life for his unborn child, for his family, for Yahya, for himself. But in the end, his efforts were useless. He was going to die anyway.

When Tony thinks all hope is lost, a mechanized claw holds the glass box towards Tony. Tony grabs it. “Good boy,” he manages to croak out to Dum-E. He smashes the glass box onto the ground and grabs the arc reactor from the remnants. He immediately fits it into the gaping hole in his chest and is immediately able to breathe easier. Despite that, Tony still loses his battle to unconsciousness.

Tony wakes up to the sounds of Rhodey calling for him. The Beta helps Tony up. “Tony, are you okay?”

“Where’s Pepper?” Tony asks instead.

“She’s fine. She’s with five agents. They’re about to arrest Obadiah.”

“That’s not going to be enough.”

“What do you mean?” Rhodey asks.

“He has my arc reactor. The newer one. And he has a suit like mine, but worse. The agents won’t be enough. I have to stop him.”

“Are you sure you want to do this Tony?”

“I have to. I’m the only one who can. First, JARVIS, how is the baby looking?”

“There is still a heartbeat sir, and no signs of miscarriage. I believe that this ordeal has not had an effect on the fetus,” the AI informs.

Tony almost sinks down in relief. “Thank God. Prep the suit.”

“Of course, sir.”

Rhodey watches almost in awe as the suit forms around Tony. “Is there anything you need me to do?”

Tony smiles. “Get your godkids. I want them here when I come home. Love you, man.” The faceplate latches into place. “Oh, and keep the kids clear.”

Tony flies off, hoping to make it in time. “JARVIS, How do you think the Mark I chest piece is going to hold up?”

“The suit’s at 48% power and falling, sir. That chest piece was never designed for sustained flight. Keep me posted. And call Pepper.

“Calling Ms. Potts, sir.”

The line goes through. “Pepper!”

“Tony! Tony, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. How are…”

Pepper interrupts him. “Obadiah, he’s gone insane!”

“I know. Listen, you’d better get out of there.” He’s almost there, just a little bit longer.

“He built a suit!”

“Get out of there right now!”

Tony can hear the ground rumbling on Pepper’s end. Then, he hears a mechanized voice, “Where do you think you’re going?” Tony sees Pepper and Obie in the monster suit. “Your services are no longer required.”

“Obie!” Tony yells out as he crashes into the Alpha, throwing them both into oncoming traffic.

Obie is completely unaffected. He just gets up and picks up a car in front of them, filled with a father and her children. “I love this suit,” Obie exclaims.

“Put them down.”

“Collateral damage, Tony.” Obie looks as though he is about to throw the vehicle, but Tony is quicker. He diverts power into the chest piece and blasts Obie with a unibeam. Tony catches the car as Obie staggers and loses his grip on it.

“Power reduced to 19%” JARVIS informs the Omega. The Alpha woman steps on the gas, causing the car to fall and Tony to be pushed with it as the woman tries to speed off, until Tony lets go and allows the car to drive over him.

Obie comes back his way, ripping a motorcyclist off his bike and throwing it at Tony.

“For twenty years, I’ve been married to you and held this company up. I built this company from nothing! Nothing is going to stand in my way. Least of all an Omega like you!” Obie throws Tony into a bus and sends a missile his way. The explosion blasts Tony into the air, and before Tony can crash down, he uses the repulsors to hover.

“Impressive, you’ve upgraded your armor. I’ve made some upgrades of my own.” With that, the Alpha takes flight.

“Sir, it appears that his suit can fly,” JARVIS remarks smartly.

“Duly noted. Take me to maximum altitude.” Tony has an idea.

“With only 15% power, the odds of reaching that…”

The Omega interrupts the AI, “I know the math! Do it!” Without another word, JARVIS complies.

Tony shoots up into the air, as the AI recites numbers. “Thirteen percent power, sir.”

“Climb!”

“Eleven percent.”

“Keep going!”

“Seven percent power.”

“Just leave it on the screen! Stop telling me!” Just a little more, just a little bit more.

Obie grabs onto Tony’s leg and brings him down to him. “You had a great idea, Omega, but my suit is more advanced in every way.”

Tony smirks. “How’d you solve the icing problem?”

“Icing problem?”

The ice had already crusted its way around the entirety of Obie’s suit. Tony watched as the power blinked out of the eye slits of Obie’s suit. “Might want to look into it,” the Omega quips as he punches the suit down, watching as it falls through the air. Though, Tony can’t watch long.

“Two percent,” JARVIS informs as Tony loses control of flight for a moment, “We are running on emergency backup power.”

Tony lands a little less than gracefully. “Pepper,” he says into the comm.

“Tony! Oh my God, are you okay?”

Tony starts taking off pieces of the suit. “I’m almost out of power. I’ve got to get out of this thing. I’ll be right there.”

“Nice try,” he hears behind him. Tony stretches out his arm, palm up before realizing he had already taken that gauntlet off.

Obie knocks him off his feet and grabs onto him. “JARVIS,” Tony gasps, “Weapons status?”

“Repulsors offline. Missiles offline.”

“Flares,” he calls out. The flares shoot out and cause the Alpha to lose his grip on Tony.

Tony hides behind a crate. He runs through all his options. He doesn’t have many. He has to go to his last resort. “Pepper?” Tony asks into the comm again.

“Tony!”

“This isn’t working. We’re going to have to overload the reactor and blast the roof.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“You’re going to do it,” the Omega explains to the Beta, “Go to the central console, open up all the circuits. When I get clear of the roof, I’ll let you know. You’re going to hit the master bypass button. It’s going to fry everything up here.”

No matter all the awful things Obie has done to Tony this past decade, Tony still does not want to kill Obie. He is still Tony’s Alpha. He still gave Tony four beautiful children. But this is what has to be done.

“Okay, I’m going in now.”

“Make sure you wait until I clear the roof. I’ll buy you some time.”

Tony jumps out behind Obie. He latches onto the back of the suit and grips tight enough that the Alpha cannot shake him out. “This looks important,” Tony says as he rips out some wiring from behind the Alpha’s head.

Obie is able to get a hold of Tony and throw him off and onto the skylight. He opens up the suit to reveal himself. “I never had a taste for this sort of thing, but I must admit, I’m deeply enjoying this suit. You finally outdid yourself, Tony!”

Tony can hear Pepper in his ear. “It’s ready, Tony! Get off the roof!”

Obie opens fire at him, causing the Omega to almost fall through the broken skylight. Obie continues to fire bullets, breaking all the glass in the skylight.

“How ironic, Tony,” the Alpha bellows, “You never wanted to build weapons, and yet you built the best one ever! And now I’m going to kill you with it!”

“Pepper!” Tony calls out.

Obie fires a missile and misses. “You ripped out my targeting system.”

“Time to hit the button!”

He fires another. “So hold still, my sweet little Omega.” And then another.

“You told me not to!”

“Just do it!” At this point, Tony is hanging off the frame of the skylight with one hand.

“You’ll die!” He knows. _I’m so sorry little one. It’s my fault you won’t get a chance to live. Goodbye, Zeke, Peter, Harley, and Jamie. Try not to hate me too much for this._

“Push it!” And she does. The blast pushes Tony back onto the roof, but also away from the beam of energy. Obie catches the brunt of it, frying his suit and leaving the Alpha unconscious. The suit falls through the roof and into the arc reactor, exploding on impact. Tony loses consciousness himself.

When Tony comes to, Pepper is standing above him, tears running down the Beta’s cheeks. “Oh my god,” she cries out, “Tony, you’re alive!”

“Where am I?” Tony wheezes.

“You’re at a SHIELD medical facility.”

“Did Obie…” Tony trails off. Tony doesn’t know what he expects, what he wants.

“He’s dead,” a voice behind them announces. Tony and Pepper turn towards the voice. It’s the agent from whatever agency that approached him at the Firefighters’ Gala.

“Agent Coulson,” Pepper supplies.

“We can’t be sure if the cause of death was from the immense amount of electricity that ran through him and his suit, or whether it was from colliding from the arc reactor,” the agent continues, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Yeah, sure,” the Omega says weakly, not knowing what else he should say. His hand flies to his stomach as the thought comes to him. “Is my baby okay?” Tony asks almost frantically. 

“The baby’s okay,” Pepper reassures him, “I’ve made sure several times. I’m sure the SHIELD doctors are sick of me now.”

“Well,” the agent butts in, “the doctors still say they would like to keep you overnight for inspection, for your and the baby’s sake. I know this is all very abrupt, but we have to address the whole situation tomorrow. There will be a press conference and SHIELD will give you an alibi. Colonel Rhodes has also graciously stepped up to take part. I believe he is waiting outside with your sons and your friend Happy. I will leave you to it.”

“Wait, how did…”

“SHIELD already knew about your children and your current pregnancy. Don’t worry, we can keep a secret.” With that, the agent left.

Immediately, Peter, Harley, and Zeke rush in, Rhodey and Happy, who was carrying a sleeping Jamie, on their tails. “Momma,” the Alpha child and the Omega child exclaim in unison as they throw themselves onto Tony, causing him to tense. Noticing this, the two young boys quickly scramble off of him.

“I’m okay,” Tony reassures his sons, though not successfully. His children continue to stand a foot or so away from him. “Just come here, would you?” The Omega demands in exasperation.

Hesitantly and carefully, all three of his away children sat on Tony’s bed, only coming closer with the Omega’s insistence.

Tony immediately felt better with his children closer to him, but there was still a pit in his stomach as his kids looked at him expectantly and with a little bit of worry. How was he going to break this news to them? “There’s something I have to tell you all,” he began. 

He pauses. Unsure how to tell them what he needs to tell them. “Dad is—“ he is interrupted by Zeke.

“dead.”

Tony is a bit taken aback. “What?”

“Dad’s dead. That’s what you’re trying to tell us.”

“How did you know that?” Tony sputters.

“Uncle Rhodey let it slip,” the teenager shrugs. Tony looks up to glare at his best friend, who had the decency to at least look a little sheepish. “Don’t be mad at him, we pestered him.” Harley and Peter nod as solemnly as the school-aged children could. Though they are young, they understand death from the years of their mother mourning their grandparents. (Maria and Jarvis, Tony never mourned his bastard sperm donor).

“I’m so sorry, babies,” Tony tries to soothe.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” his eldest exclaims, “Dad tried to kill you!”

“Yeah, Dad’s a meanie and a bad person,” his second-youngest exclaims with just as much vigor.

“He was still your father,” the Omega continues weakly. Tony can see both Rhodey and Happy rolling their eyes simultaneously at his defense of the admittedly awful man.

“He was no father to me,” Zeke continues ferociously.

“Me either. I don’t like Dad; he hurt you all the time,” Peter mimics.

“Me too,” Harley adds.

In this moment, as Tony looks between his defiant children, it dawns on Tony that the loyalty he has for Obie due to his children far exceeded the loyalty his children had to their father. He did not know why he continued to make excuses for the Alpha, probably from years and years of abuse and conditioning, but this was where it stopped. The only things that link Tony to that man are his children, who have no desire to be linked to the Alpha.

Tony was finally free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, the next chapter is finally up! At least two months is better than 6 months! When I tell you that I had been stuck at the last ~400 words of this for weeks, I am not kidding. Now, I have school and an internship, so I'm not sure when the next update is going to be. Especially since I usually waited until at least half of the next chapter was done before uploading, but whatever. I'm done trying to put this fic on a schedule. There is no schedule, just vibes.
> 
> Also, I lied about IM1 being done in 5 chapters. We are actually going to wrap it up the next chapter with a bit of post-movie stuff before we dive into IM2 in the chapter after that.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr as [i-put-the-bi-in-hijabi](https://i-put-the-bi-in-hijabi.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated! Let me know what your favorite part is in the comments!


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